RWBY: Bearer of the Curse
by Chinsangan
Summary: Beacon has lost many students over the years, and it always devastates someone. One student, a reclusive fourth-year, knows this far too well. He wants nothing to do with teamwork again. However, when he's forced to mentor JNPR, a first-year team, a chain of events unfolds that will realize all his fears. His curse... will be the death of everyone. (AU)(Pyrrha x Male Reader)
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The sound of the Bullhead and the sharp howl of wind fights to take priority in your ears. You stare out the side, staring out at the terrain as you fly past it.

"Alright kiddos," you shout, looking back in the Bullhead. There are two teams staring at you, team RWBY, consisting of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, as well as team CMNE, consisting of Cinder Mercury Black, Neo, and Emerald Sustrai. You always thought it was strange that it was pronounced "Carmine" yet didn't have an "R," but you're not the one who makes up the team names. "You're all first years so we, the lovely and experienced team GRAE, will be guiding you through your first mission."

"Don't hype us up that much, (Y/N)," a female voice says in your ear.

"We have an intercom. Why are you using your Semblance?" You shout.

"And why do you get to sit with all those ladies? It's not fair," a separate voice asks.

You look to the right, checking out the second Bullhead flying parallel to yours. In there are three other students that you know too well. Robin, the sole girl of your team. She's extremely pretty and slender, though a tad tall. She constantly complains about it, but you always try to cheer her up. She's not taller than any of the guys in your team, but some of the others… well, she tries to hold it with pride now. Her long, gray, red, and white hair flows down onto her flowing gray coat that falls to her ankles. That coat covers her white shirt and orange tights. On her back is her two crossbows that're locked in place.

To her left is Azure, your big boy. He's in full armour, like a knight, and has a giant hammer on his back that can't even be retracted. He's not wearing his helmet this time around, letting everyone see his short blue hair and slightly chubby cheeks.

To the right is Eton, the "Prince Charming" of your little entourage, but with brown hair. It works either way. He's always described as the guy straight out of fairy tales, which gave him somewhat of an ego. Probably why he competes with you a lot. Despite this nickname, his clothing is likely the plainest of you all – donning only a blue hoodie and darker blue jeans. On his hands are his weapons, two blades that are currently in resting mode.

"Shut up, Eton," you wave. "You know I had to. Besides, good ol' Mercury is here to keep an eye on me," you place a hand on his shoulder. "Right?"

"As if," he chuckles, brushing you off.

"So, lets recap," you stand in place so everyone can look at you. "It's a basic seek and destroy. There's a ton of Grimm converging on this cave so we're going to clear them out and figure out what's attracting them. It could be some scared civies running from the Grimm, and if so we have to get them out of there. They'll be our top priority, got it?"

"Got it," everyone answers.

"Perfect. We'll keep the channel clear until we sit down. And NO CHIRPING, ROBIN!"

"Okay!" She whispers.

"Stop it!" You wail.

The two teams in your Bullhead chuckle.

"I don't know why you referred to this as our first mission," Cinder says, moving to your side and placing a hand on your shoulder. "We've done… a lot of things together."

"Yeah… but I haven't done those same things with everyone else," you joke, wrapping your hand around her waist. "I know you've all been on missions before, but they were practice ones. This is YOUR mission that we're providing back up on. You eight have been my teams for months now. I've got an investment, you know," you end with a smile.

"We won't let you down!" Ruby says with determination.

"Yeah, we're gonna kick some Beo-butt!" Yang slams her fists together.

"What happens if there are no Beowolves?" Emerald poses.

"Usai-as-"

"Hey! No swearing on the job," you wag your finger.

"But you do it all the time."

"That's because my teammates undermine me," you look over your shoulder and squint at your devious allies. "They'll be the death of me, one day, I swear."

"We'll be landing soon!" The pilot says over the intercom.

"Right, everyone get ready! We'll be back in no time!"

The two Bullheads find a clearing a short distance away from the cave. The three teams exit the Bullheads, all taking our their weapons except for you. Your blade remains on your back, just below your ribs on the right side. Your arms are completely exposed thanks to the gray, hard leather vest your don. Aside from that, you have gray combat pants with matching boots. Your final accessory is a small piece of material that's stuck between your left shoulder and the innards of the vest.

The bullheads take off, whipping everyone's hair and clothes around.

"No signs of Grimm," Cinder states, scanning the area with her bow.

"Same on this side," Robin replies, doing the same but with her two crossbows.

"Keep your guards up. We were told there were plenty of Grimm in the area. Team GRAE, try to leave as many Grimm as you can for RWBY and CMNE! It's their mission."

"Got it, boss," Azure replies.

"You're just scared I'll kill more," Eton teases. "Kill more than the first years, yeah. Alright, you two take the lead. We're your back up."

"Right," Ruby nods. "Cinder, let's move forward while keeping everyone watching."

"A 360-degree field of view," the other leader nods. "We'll keep this up until the cave."

Your group of nine marches their way through the forest, encountering no resistance. Even as you enter the clearing and spot the cave there are no Grimm around. You cross your arms and look around.

"There was supposed to be Grimm all over the place… what's going on?" You whisper to yourself. "I don't like this."

"Hey, (Y/N), there's no Grimm. What do we do?" Ruby asks.

"Does that mean the civilians hiding in the cave…" Weiss brings up.

"I don't know," you shake your head. "We should investigate anyway. They could be all hiding in the cave."

"To ambush us?" Eton proposes.

"Maybe," you shrug. "But they won't get a drop on us. Just keep calm and stick together."

Your group slowly approaches the group. You take the lead and enter the cave before anyone else. You take a brief look around, not hearing or seeing any Grimm. Yet something is calling you. It's a quiet, subtle call.

" _Come closer. Come closer. There's something for everyone here."_

"Robin, are you talking?" You turn back.

"What? No," Robin shakes her head as she marches past the others. "Why…" She stops, looking around.

" _You'll enjoy it. My company is favourable."_

"What is that?"

"Yeah, you hear it too. It's almost creepy, to be honest. This isn't Grimm," you cross your arms and look past Robin to the others.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Ruby shouts. "Grimm are coming! A lot of Grimm! A LOT!" She shouts, jamming her scythe into the ground and firing at the massive wave of Beowolves, Usai, Creeps, and more.

You run past Robin and gander at the overwhelming black and white wave approaches. "Tsk… everyone in the cave! It'll be easier to mow them down!"

Robin runs past you and starts firing at the Grimm. "Cinder, help me hold them off! Everyone else, get in the cave!"

With no arguments, the others run into the cave and pass you, all taking positions for when the Grimm inevitably enter.

"Go farther! Look for any civilians!" You shout, running out of the cave. "Cinder, Robin, follow them. I'll hold the Grimm here."

"What?" They both look to you.

"It's fine. I'll catch up in a minute," you smirk at them. "Trust me, I'm no pushover."

The two reluctantly start running backward, eyes locked on you, before turning around and joining with the others. You grab hold of the hilt with your right hand whilst raising your left.

"It's been a while since I fought a hoard of Grimm. Too many bandits and-"

" _Now they're mine."_

You stop mid-thought and look back at the cave. "They're… yours?" Your eyes shake as they stare into the dark, shadowed cave. You can feel something gnawing at you, tugging at your heart, shaking your soul. "W-What's in that cave?"

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The eight men and women run deeper into the cave in a scattered pattern.

"Are we really leaving him to fight them all?" Yang asks, clearly concerned.

"(Y/N) will be fine. He's our leader for a reason," Robin answers.

"I could've done it too," Eton comments.

"No," Azure replies. "I don't think he can beat them either. I don't know what his plan is."

" _Come closer. Come closer. There's something I want to show you."_

The eight run further and further into the cave, passing by small, makeshift, empty rooms. They completely ignore the carvings on the wall, the ancient warnings left by those who once inhabited this cave. The farther they get, the louder and more frequent the whispers become. A light, faint and white, gets brighter and brighter as they close in.

"What is that?" Weiss points forward. "Is that a beacon?"

"We'll have to see," Ruby replies.

The eight get closer and closer until the light overwhelms them. They all stop in a large, circular room. There are red engravings all along the wall, but the easiest thing to spot is a red orb, seeping with powers. It's placed on a pedestal in the middle of the room, attracting everyone's eye.

"What..?" Eton asks aloud.

Everyone surrounds the object, but Cinder's the one who gets the closest. "It… you guys can feel that, right? Something's in here… or…"

Neo places her hand on Cinder's arm and shakes her head.

"You feel something?"

Neo looks down at the orb and furrows her brow. She turns away and heads for the cave.

"Neo…" Cinder whispers before looking back at the orb.

" _I have everything you all want. Just touch it. Just touch it. You'll have everything."_

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You flip over a Beowolf, decapitating in in a flash before turning around and slashing an Ursa's stomach a dozen times. You look behind you and throw your hand towards the stone wall behind you. The material on your left hand extends and sticks onto the rock, quickly retracting and pulling you out of the hoard. You bring it back to your shoulder before flipping a few times and landing in front of the cave.

"Thirty of you and still…"

" _Become mine… like they are."_

"They…" You turn back to the cave. "I have to find them!" You sheathe your weapon and run in, ignoring the Grimm behind you. "I'll have to deal with them later. I need to find my team! Something's not right… I shouldn't have let them go in alone," you shake your head.

You run as fast as you can, not letting yourself slow down for even a second. You can see a glowing light, changing colours from red, to green, to blue, always shifting.

"What the hell is going on?"

You approach the entrance where Neo stands. Behind her, Cinder grabs the ball. A blinding flash erupts and a dark power surges out. It takes control of Cinder first, then flows to every person in the room. The cave shakes, the planet wheeps at this development. Seeing what's happening, Neo pushes you back the moment you reach her. This dark, flaming power overwhelms her. Rocks from the ceiling start falling between you and Neo. Your eyes flick between each of your friends, shrouded by dust and rock. Each of them are riling in pain, contorting and weeping.

"NO!" You scream throwing your hand out to grab Neo, though the rocks prevent that.

The dark power attempts to reach you as well, but with all the chaos it only manages to take hold of your hand. The moment it envelops it, you feel a burning sensation unrivaled. You fall on your butt and grab your hand, wincing, muscles tightening.

"Kk… no… what is…" You look back at the room, now completely cut off by rocks. "No! NO!" You get up and grab your sword in an attempt to cut through it, but more of the cave starts falling. You barely jump back in time to dodge getting crushed, and more of it starts falling. "I…" With no other option, you squeeze your eyes shut and start to run out of the cave. You keep your right hand on your left in a pointless attempt to dwell the pain. The mysterious power circles your hand, changing its colour and remaking your limb.

With rocks falling all around you, it's a miracle you managed to get out. However, the small army of Grimm are still there. You sneer, unsure what to do. The cave has caved in, your back is against the wall, and you're in a compromised spot.

"What's happening? We've lost connection with the others! (Y/N) Gray, are you there?"

You look up at the two Bullheads circling the area. With no other option, you throw your left hand up and extend the material to grab hold of the Bullhead. It whips you up and into the Bullhead, scaring the pilot.

"We're… leaving…" You painfully say.

"But the others."

You tighten your right fist. "They're gone… They're all gone…" Tears fall on your burning hand. "I… gah," you squeeze your hand. "How could I fail… so badly..?"

" _You… are mine."_

 **So this one is gonna be a somewhat short story. Maybe 10 or so chapters and shorter than my normal ones. Probably 3-6 thousand words when I normally do over 6 thousand. Either way, this is more of a fun little project than anything else… and it's still RWBY… yeah, I'll do something not RWBY soon. Gotta make sure I don't burn myself out with it like Frozen. Anyhow, if you haven't noticed already, this is totally AU. So characters being different, either in personality or age, or backstory changes, it's all meant to be this way. It's a different take and a new story that'll be told. Again, it'll be a fun project to work on in my spare time since I can't really work on Limitless or Crimson Shadow at the moment. I'll probably be putting out another story soon too. Not sure. This is a short story and the other will be a full one. We'll see. I'll stick with this for now.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed and are excited for the rest. I know this chapter is fairly short, but… it's a prologue. It's not meant to be huge. This just gives context and sets everything up for the future. But you smart readers know that. I'll see you next time!**

 **Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan**

 **I recently revamped my to include a few more rewards with a steadier donation price. Things like one-shots, short stories, and full stories are a thing now! Plus there's a Discord reward for a dollar, so that's sort of neat. You can check it out yourself if you're interested. It's completely optional, of course! Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan**

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 **A special thank you to supporters: Manuel Garcia, James Tubbs, MazMan, MTX and Sassylemons**

 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader: Nobody cause I'm a lonely pleb**


	2. Chapter 1: The Consequence of

**Chapter 1: The Consequence of Stubbornness**

You calmly walk across Beacon's grounds, hands in your pockets as you stare ahead. Nothing much has changed in terms of your appearance since last year. The only significant difference is your entire left arm is covered in the same stretchy material that once only sat on your shoulder. In the distance, a small group of teams gather in front of the auditorium.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" Coco waves. "Wanna come meet the new teams?"

You tilt your head slightly to make eye contact with her, then return your gaze forward.

"Jeez," Coco lowers her hands. "Why is he still so lame?"

"Coco…" Velvet whispers.

"I know, I know, but still! He can't wallow in sadness forever!" She places her hands on her hips. "He should at least make an effort!"

"He hasn't made an effort in a year," Yatsuhashi chips in.

"It's sad," another girl hops into the conversation. "He used to be so fun."

"Yeah…" They watch you walk away. "I… do feel bad," Coco sighs.

You saunter past the statues, the ponds, and the people. You stop at the cemetery, filled to the brim with gravestones. You pass by quite a few until you reach a collection of eleven stones. Each of them has a picture of who they were before their unfortunate passing.

"RWBY… CMNE… GRAE…" You whisper. "I…" You look to the sky and huff. "I hope you're okay… I know I come by every day so nothing would have changed, but, uh…" You return your gaze to the stones, more specifically, Cinder. "Some boyfriend I was… some leader I was," you tighten your fists in your pockets.

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"Congratulations, students," Ozpin smiles at the newly formed teams. "As you all know, you'll be assigned a third or fourth-year team to assist you in your training. You'll see some of them outside. We'll have another meeting tomorrow that'll decide it. I do hope you enjoy your time at Beacon. Train hard, study well, and protect each other. Have a good night, everyone."

Ozpin walks off the stage, minding his own business. He can already hear all the teams start talking about their mentors and their time at Beacon. Ozpin steps off the stage and looks in the direction of the cemetery. He's well aware you're there and not here, despite him requesting your presence. You've been avoiding him, professors, and even other students. You only interact with him when it's about your recent condition.

In the crowd, a single team stands out from the rest. Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc, has some of the most promising students this year. Jaune himself, which Ozpin has high hopes for, the dynamic duo Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren, and finally Pyrrha Nikos, the top graduate of Sanctum Academy. It was a hard fought battle to get the chess pieces and return to Ozpin, but they're teamwork and Jaune's leadership is what got them through.

"So we get another team?" Jaune scratches his head.

"Indeed," Pyrrha nods. "They guide us for the first year and ensure we learn properly. They even train us!"

"Oooh, sounds fun," Nora rubs her hands together. "Think we'll get some super cool team?"

"Perhaps," Ren responds, walking towards the door. "We should get settled into our dorm."

"Right!" Nora throws her hand in the air. "Coming Ren!"

"So, Jaune, how does it feel leading the team?" Pyrrha pleasantly asks, shifting both her hands behind her.

"Ah, well, I think you should have got it but I don't think PNJR sounds as good… hehe…" He sighs. "Okay, yeah, that wasn't very good."

Pyrrha giggles. "It's alright. I think you did a fantastic job, Jaune. Professor Ozpin clearly thought the same. You should be proud of that."

"Yeah, I guess," Jaune replies as the two leave the building, shuffling in the crowd. "So are these the fourth years?" He gets on his tippy toes and looks at the people on the sidelines.

"I believe so. Would you like to say hello? Maybe one of them will take a liking to you?"

"Maybe I can find the best ones! Or maybe the worst so I don't look so bad…" Jaune shrinks on himself as he speaks aloud. "Wait, what if Nora takes up all our spots?"

Pyrrha giggles once more. "It would be best if we hurry. I'm sure we'll see our mentor team tomorrow."

"Yeah!"

The two shuffle out of the crowd and start walking towards the dormitories. Pyrrha stops and looks back at the dozens of teams, all talking and laughing. It's odd to see such cheerfulness when they're practicing to protect people from humanities greatest threat. But, she notices one person far away from everyone else. You're walking back in the area after paying your respects like you do every day. You stop for a moment, checking out all the new students and all your classmates who're so excited to greet them. Then, you notice someone's staring at you.

For a brief moment, you and Pyrrha lock eyes. There's nothing said, nothing thought. You see her, you snicker, and you keep walking.

"Idiots," you mumble under your breath.

"Ah, (Y/N)," Ozpins greets, somehow behind you.

"Mm…" You turn around and look at him with a less than enthusiastic gaze. "What do you want?"

"That's no way to talk. I expected you to be here."

"I am here. Far away, watching. I don't need to be in the crowd."

"Have you given my proposal any thought?"

"Yes. No."

Ozpin chuckles. "I'm going to pretend that was in the opposite order."

"Believe what you want, Ozpin," you start walking away. "I'm not mentoring any of them. They'll be dead within a week."

"Not if you're there."

"Obviously," you bluntly reply, still marching.

No more words are spoken between the two of you. Ozpin's eyes drift to your bandaged arm. Despite everything, he smiles. "You'll be there."

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You lay on your bed, staring at the ceiling.

" _Not if you're there."_

" _Obviously."_

"Obviously…" You repeat to yourself. "Tsk… to put this on me… how petty to think I'd want to lead again…" You raise your left arm into view, opening and closing your fist. "And this… burden… I'm not meant to lead anyone anymore."

" _Not if you're there."_

"I was there last time," you tighten your muscles. "What difference did that make? Nothing… nothing," you let your head fall. "No… I refuse to be bogged down. I'm fine on my own," you roll back on your bed. "No reason for more."

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All the new teams gather in the auditorium where, on stage, dozens of other teams stand. They all smile, wave, and make sure these new students feel welcomed. Ozpin stands at the forefront of it all, looking back at the present teams. Of course, you're not there. Ozpin sighs, but quickly smiles to cover it up.

"I'm glad you could all make it. Today, you'll be assigned your mentor team. Keep in mind, you may have a sister team that's also mentoring under one of these teams. It'd be best, if you're in that situation, to warm up to that other team. Now, let's begin the assignment. Team JNPR," the team's picture shows up on the screen. "You'll be paired with team CFVY," he gestures to said team. "This will be the only team you'll be assigned, CFVY. You may leave with JNPR if you wish."

"Sounds good," Coco nods. "JNPR, meet us outside."

Both teams make their way out of the building, stopping outside the closed door. "So, you're JNPR?" Coco eyes up the four. "Interesting. I can work with this. Good to meet you," she offers her hand to Jaune first.

"Y-Yeah. I'm Jaune Arc," he shakes Coco's hand. The other members all shake each other's hands, taking a few moments to get the pleasantries out of the way.

"Good to meet you all. Trust me, you're working with the best team," Coco proudly states. "You won't be disappointed."

"We're very eager to learn," Ren bows his head. "Surely your experience will prove invaluable."

"I like you," Coco snickers. "We'll work out just fine. Now, let's start step one!"

"Don't you four have classes today?" Velvet meekly asks, shifting past Yatsuhashi.

"No, that's us, Vel," Coco waves her off. "But we only get one class today. Bonus points, right?"

The rest of her team don't respond. JNPR is quickly gathering that Coco is the only real vocal one of the group.

"So, I wanna see you guys do a little fighting. Know where you need to improve, you know? So, I have a Bullhead waiting to take us to the Forest of ForeverFall. We'll fight a few Grimm, get a grip on your skill levels, and know where to go from there."

"Fighting… more Grimm, huh?" Jaune nervously laughs.

"No need to worry," Yatsuhashi speaks up. "If things get difficult we'll pull out. We're more than capable when dealing with Grimm."

"Maybe he can give you a few pointers, too," Coco elbows his side. "So, are you all ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Nora cheers.

Ren merely bows his head. Pyrrha smiles and nods. Jaune nervously shifts in place but isn't showing signs of backing down. Already, CFVY is getting a feel for their new team. They know some things to improve… and most of that revolves around Jaune.

"Alright, let's go!" Coco leads the other seven towards the docks.

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"I'm disappointed."

"But not surprised?" You respond, looking over your shoulder.

"No… not surprised," Ozpin clearly responds.

The headmaster stands a few feet behind you, feet spread with his cane planted firmly between them. He looks around the cemetery with an anchor around his neck. Each student, each teacher, each Huntsman he knew. He accepted them into his school and they're now dead, partly because of him. He isn't fond of visiting this place, but he still does. It keeps him grounded, reminds him of the consequence of their actions. You relate to him, in that way.

You return your gaze to the gravestones and sigh. "What do you want, Ozpin?"

"I wanted you to lead a new team."

"You had plenty of elidable teams. I'm only one person."

"You're the one who survived."

You turn around, eyes sharp as you silently threaten him.

"That matters."

"You don't know that. We never found their bodies."

"They were crushed in a cave," he bluntly responds.

"You didn't even look!" Your voice raises temporarily, but you return to staring at their graves and take a breath. "If you're here to lecture me then don't bother. I'm sure you have better things to do," you shift your hands into your pockets and relax.

"No, I don't. You are my student. You're… more of a special case than any other. Not only am I professionally concerned, but personally," Ozpin strolls to your side. "I know loss is difficult… but the best way to heal is to let others in."

"I'm fine," you turn around and walk past Ozpin. "Don't worry about me, Ozpin. I'll handle myself from here on out."

"Professor Ozpin!" A woman screams, running towards you and him.

You recognize the woman, Glynda Goodwitch, one of the professors here at Beacon. Ozpin turns around and starts walking towards her.

"What's the problem, Glynda?"

Glynda passes by you, standing still and looking back at the two professors. She stops in front of Ozpin and pulls out her scroll. She hands it to the Headmaster and he takes a moment to listen. You're too far away to hear the words, but you can tell something's happening. Growling, gunfire, and unintelligible banter. It's clear that someone is being overwhelmed by Grimm.

Ozpin looks up at you with sharper eyes than ever, almost sending a shiver down your spine.

"What?"

Ozpin moves past Glynda, still holding her scroll. "You'll want to hear this."

You're able to process the noise more clearly now. One sound stands out above everything else. It's gunfire… single shots that sound very, very familiar.

"Ozpin, get me a Bullhead right now."

"It'll be ready when you reach the docks. Team CVFY and JNPR are the ones being attacked," Ozpin speaks. "Bring them back. You're dismissed from the rest of today's classes."

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"There's no way," you shake your head as the wind rushes across your body. "That sound… is it possible?" You tighten your grip on the handle. "JNPR and CFVY… what were they doing in the Forest of Forever Fall?"

The Bullhead zooms over the red trees and circles around a downed Bullhead. "We'll be staying in the air, just in case."

"Got it."

You leap out of the Bullhead and dive right into the red sea of trees. You spin around and land, bones shaking under the pressure. Thankfully, your Aura took any damage that may have caused. You stand up straight and start running towards the crashed Bullhead. You can't hear any voices, Grimm, or gunfire in the immediate area. So, either the battle is already done or they're farther away. First, you need to find any clues as to what happened.

You walk to the Bullhead and check the pilot seat. There's a bullet hole in the glass and beyond that is a pilot with a gaping hole in their head.

"Shot down… I wonder if they were trying to escape?" You grab your scroll. "Hey, I suggest keeping a distance from the area."

"Of course!"

"Of course," you mock after hanging up. "How brave. Whatever," you sidestep the Bullhead and walk towards the back. "Let's see if there are any…" You stop in place, eyes shaking as you stare at a new body.

"V… Velvet…" You mumble.

Your eyes shake as they stare at her bloody body. You spring to her side, sliding to your knee and lifting her back off the ground. You examine her body closer, still a little shaken to see the Faunus in such bad shape. Unlike the pilot, Velvet has a large gash from her shoulder down to her stomach. Her right arm is loosely dangling since there's nothing there to support it. Her eyes are still open, lifelessly staring back at you.

"I…"

Despite everything, this shakes you to your core. You've been coping with RWBY and CMNE for so long, but you never had to see their bodies. Now… now it's different. Velvet is gone. You're holding whatever is left of her. It's heartbreaking to see your friend, a kind soul who never really like combat all too much, and now she's gone. You drag your hand down her face, shutting the lids, and rest her back onto the ground. You stand up and extend your left hand towards Velvet. Some of your bandages start moving, slithering towards Velvet and wrapping around the girl. Round and round the bandage goes, covering the girl from head to toe to protect her remains and for easier transportation. Even though you've used enough to cover the entire girl, your arm is never exposed to the outside. Thankfully, that'll never be a problem with your Semblance.

"Rest in peace, Velvet," you say once she's completely covered. You grab your knife and cut the bandage and retract the rest to your arm. "I hope the rest of you are okay… please be okay."

You take another look around the area, spotting more signs of conflict. Bullet holes in trees, slash marks along the grass, and footprints. That last one catches your attention. You take a few steps away from Velvet's corpse and kneel down to check the tracks.

"Heels..? Coco? Maybe…" You think back for a moment, trying to remember who JNPR was. "They were… Pyrrha Nikos? She uses heels. Either one, they lead deeper into the forest," you stand up and start following what tracks you can see. "I don't like that I can't hear anything… knowing the Velvet was slain I… I don't have much hope for the others. But those gunshots," you think to yourself. "It sounded too much like Ruby's sniper."

On cue, you stop at the sight of a rose petal. You kneel down and grab the gray, shriveled rose petal. "Tsk," you crush it. "That… isn't Ruby's… but…" You shake your head and start running. "Damnit, there's no time to mess around."

You know you're going the right directions since there is plenty of damage on trees and grass. You can only hope that you're not too late. Even if you are… it won't be on your conscious. You didn't bring these guys out here… you didn't lead them to death. You're just the recovery squad.

You slide to a halt and look around the immediate area. Plenty of trees are cut down, along with burn marks on the grass. You slowly walk towards the tree and check it out.

"Hm… burn marks… and this tree," you can see that is wasn't cut in half. The way it's knocked over, the impact markings, and the ragged breaking point… "This was knocked over with a punch? Kick? Maybe someone was thrown into it," you continue to speculate. "But with these marks," you look to the grass. "If Ruby was here… she couldn't do damage like this. Maybe it wasn't Ruby… but…" You check the area once more, taking everything in. "What if… it's not only Ruby? No," you shake your head. "What am I thinking… they would've come back. This has to be some sort of human or Faunus enemy."

Lucky for you, a gunshot is heard in the distance. You stand up and look toward the direction the sound came from. You immediately sprint to that area as fast as your legs can take you. You brush past bushes, duck under loose branches, and jump over small holds made by battle. Faster and faster you move until you finally find a small group of people. Your eyes once again widen at the sight. Yatsuhashi is pinned against a tree with his own blade while Fox is, like Velvet, simply lying on the ground, dead.

Coco is resting against a tree, bleeding but alive. In front of her is Pyrrha, on her knees and crying. Her weapon, in gun form, is resting beside her. Jaune, Nora, and Ren are injured but not gravely.

"Kid… come on… now," Coco coughs up more blood. "Ah… my clothes…"

"Coco," you speak, marching towards the group. The members of JNPR all look to you, their eyes lighting up at the sight of back up. You kneel down beside Pyrrha. "Coco, what happened?"

Coco snickers, barely keeping face. "We… were attacked by a group. Three people…"

"They were all in robes," Pyrrha cuts in. "We couldn't see who they were, but… they were so strong. CFVY… they…" Tears start streaming down her face, layering the previous markings.

"I got it," you quickly say. "Gather your team. Make sure you're all ready to move."

"I…" Pyrrha's emerald eyes shiver while staring at you.

"You're getting out of here, trust me," you nod, not bothering to smile. "Now, Coco, you're-"

"I know," Coco chuckles, looking down at her severely gashed stomach. "One of them… they caught me from behind… a blade and chain…"

"Blade and chain?" You whisper.

"I wanted… the redhead to end it for me… but…" Coco slowly raises her hand, which you quickly grab. "Please… I can't… keep a smile for much longer."

"We can-"

"No," she shakes her head. "No… you can't. Please… get those kids outta here…"

You lower your head and tighten the grip on her hand.

 _Why… this wasn't my fault, and yet… everything inside me… damnit… DAMNIT_

"Yeah… I'll get them out," you look back at her, keeping a straight face. You keep holding her hand with your bandaged arm while grabbing your blade with the right. "Coco… I'm so sorry."

"I… am too…"

Without hesitation, you pierce Coco's body, killing her in seconds. Her eyes fade to lifelessness, reuniting her with her team. You pull your blade out and huff.

"Rest in peace… old friend."

Still holding her with your left hand, you extend your bandages to wrap around her body and cocoon her. You stand up and walk over to the other two, doing the same to them one at a time.

"Velvet's back at the ship," you say aloud, not looking at the younger Huntsmen-in-Training. "We're going to bring these three back to her and then rally the next Bullhead."

"We can't," Jaune quickly intrudes. "One of those… people… they shot us down when we tried to escape the first time. Right out of the air!"

"So it was out of the air?" You clarify. "interesting… but that's of no concern. We'll be fine. We know what they'll do." You grab your scroll and connect to the pilot. "We're going to need a pickup. Where's the closest you can make it?"

"I'll send you the coordinates. Be there in five."

"Got it," you disconnect your scroll. "Alright, we have five minutes. Don't fall behind."

You grab Yatsuhashi's body and lug it over your left shoulder. "Can any of you carry them? They're the lighter ones."

"I can," Pyrrha raises her hand.

"No need for that. Just answer," you scold. "Grab whoever you can."

Pyrrha, being closest to Coco, picks her up with Jaune grabs Fox.

"You two," you say, marching towards Nora and Ren. "You're our eyes and ears. If anything gets close… well, you're our first line of defense. Got it?"

"Yes," they respond.

"Good. Let's move, then."

Carrying the bodies, you all slowly march your way back through the forest, treading old ground.

"You four did well to survive," you say, a meager attempt to give praise.

"We only survived because the others sacrificed themselves… it wasn't even Grimm," Jaune shakes his head. "It was just murder… it was-"

"Hey, calm down," you cut in. "Get all panicked and more Grimm will come." You wait a few more seconds before talking, letting the sound of footsteps refresh the conversation palate. "So who attacked you?"

"We don't know," Ren responds. "There were three of them, all cloaked in really dark, tattered robes."

"Mm… I saw dead rose petals. That have anything to do with it?"

Yeah, one of them was super fast! Every time they moved those dead petals came out."

"Tsk," you brush that off. "I'll have to mention that… and the weapon Coco mentioned… who was the third?"

"I have no idea," Pyrrha responds. "They sat back most of the time, acted as a distraction."

"Interesting. I'm guessing it was that surprise that caught CVFY off guard."

"Yes," Pyrrha replies once more. "Velvet… she fell out of the Bullhead when the pilot was shot. She was killed before we even hit the ground. I-"

"You can tell Ozpin about it," you coldly respond. "I know all I need to. Maybe recite it in your head a few times."

"You're weird," Nora blurts out. "You're concerned one second and uncaring the next."

"Sorry I tried," you quickly respond, making sure they don't get too detailed with your emotions. "We're almost there. Hurry up and-"

You jump to the side the second a gunshot can be heard. You spin around, setting Yatsuhashi down and unsheathing your knife.

"Take him and head to the Bullhead," you shout. "I'll cover you!"

You jump ahead and deflect another bullet to the side. Nora grabs the body and starts running with the rest of her team. Pyrrha stops and turns around, watching you dash from side to side, flipping and twirling while you deflect each bullet.

"Go, damnit!" You shout. "These aren't easy!"

Pyrrha turns back and starts sprinting through the forest. You cut the last bullet down and exhale.

"There's no doubt about it… Ruby!" You scream. "What're you doing?"

Your voice echoes through the trees. After waiting a few seconds, three cloaked figures land in front of you, making a significant thud on impact. You keep your weapon tight in your hand, ready to react to anything. Unfortunately, it's impossible to see the faces under the hoods. Each of them has varied, yet familiar heights. Or maybe you're just hoping it's familiar.

"Who are you? Why'd you attack students of Beacon Academy?"

The three don't move, as if they're statues. You notice they're not even breathing, or they're extremely skilled at concealing their breaths.

"You're a lot of fun," the smaller one on the right speaks. One layer of her voice is Ruby's, no doubt about it, but there's a second, female layer that is also recognizable… yet you can't put your finger on it. "I liked how mobile you are. So much more fun to shoot at than the others," she giggles. "They didn't even try."

"Kid, I've got team JNPR and… the bodies. Where are you?"

"Oh, another birdie to shoot down?" The girl giggles. "What do you two thing?"

The other two remain silent, letting the smaller girl talk.

"Are you Ruby?" You bluntly ask.

"Ruby? Ruby Rose? A trespasser? Adorable? Loved by all yet killed… by you."

You furrow your brow. "I didn't kill her… but I have no qualms about killing you."

"You already did," the three speak in unison.

The three dash at you simultaneously, almost as if their mind was one. You jump to the left then quickly extend some material to the tree directly across from you, passing over them as they attempt to follow your first evasion attempt. You spin around and land against a tree, bursting off the wood and attack them… or you would if they were still there. You flip forward and land on your feet, sliding to a halt. You look around the area to see if they've hidden somewhere nearby by in the trees or bushes. Since their breathing was so minute, you can't rely on that.

You step back, keeping your blade arm high to protect yourself from any possible attacks.

"They could be trying to psyche me out… but if they went after the Bullhead…" You turn tail and start running. "Shit… Are you there? Where's the pickup?"

"We're here!"

You stop and look up, seeing the red leaves be pushed aside by the wind pressure.

"Why… whatever," you raise your arm and extend your material, wrapping it around the Bullhead and pulling you up. You retract it when you can walk into the loading area. "Glad you're all safe," you greet the young team before turning around and looking down at the forest. "Ruby… Emerald… was that really you?"

 **Well, here's chapter one! Or… chapter two, technically… the first one was a prologue but most websites will still technically call it chapter one… well, whatever. Yeah, these chapters may come out pretty fast. AS weird as it is, I kinda wanna blow through this story. Not in a bad way, but it makes it easier. This is a short story, after all. No need for it to take super long. Plus, Limitless' chapter is done (at the moment of writing thing) so I really had nothing else to work on.**

 **Looking ahead, I don't even know if this'll hit ten chapters. I never really plan out stories by chapter; I just have the general plan and write until I'm done. So, I won't bother mentioning the chapter count from here on out. It'll be done when it's done, but it'll be done soon… I hope. I am a college student, you know, I have other things to do! I guess it's a blessing and a curse that I'm so obsessed with writing. Guess you could say I'm the bearer of the writing curse! Eh? Aaaah? Okay, sorry. My potential for bad jokes is Limitle- okay, I'm done! Sorry!**

 **I'll see you guys in the next chapter. I hope you're enjoying. This is off the heels of Crimson Shadow's hiatus (and after Pyrrha's death, funnily enough) so I hope this'll tide you over for a bit. Well, I hope Limitless does that too… and any other story. Okay, rambling, I'm gonna go no. See you guys next time.**

 **Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan**

 **I recently revamped my to include a few more rewards with a steadier donation price. Things like one-shots, short stories, and full stories are a thing now! Plus there's a Discord reward for a dollar, so that's sort of neat. You can check it out yourself if you're interested. It's completely optional, of course! Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan**

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 **A special thank you to supporters: Manuel Garcia, James Tubbs, MazMan, MTX and Sassylemons**

 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader: The tree folk! Which… is just me… cause I'm Forrest! Get it?**


	3. Chapter 2: A Mentor Once More

**Chapter 2: A Mentor Once More**

It's been two days since you returned to Beacon with the bodies of CFVY and the living team JNPR. It wasn't the first time you saw friends be buried in the cemetery, but it still wasn't easy. Some students cried, some were angry, others even yelled at you for not getting there in time. You didn't react. You didn't respond. You sat there and respected your fallen comrades who sacrificed themselves to save their students… something you couldn't even do.

JNPR was sent to the medical wing for small treatment and was asked to come in the next day. That day… is today. Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren sit in front of Ozpin's desk. Glynda's there, standing beside the sitting headmaster. You're there, leaning against one of the pillars in the room as you hear their side of the story once more. Ozpin glances over at you every so often and you meet his gaze with no hesitation.

 _You know it too, don't you?_

After some shaky words and bad memories, the room goes silent as each person is left to their own thoughts. Ozpin takes a deep breath before breaking the silence.

"I see. Well… we'll have Huntsmen look into this."

"You'll have me look into this," you cut in, attracting everyone's gaze.

"No. I have a different assignment for you."

"A different assignment?" You repeat, pushing off the pillar and walking forward. "This is the perfect assignment for me!"

"No, it's not. These four," he gestures to the sitting students. "Need a new mentor."

You stop in place and scowl at your headmaster. "You…"

"(Y/N) Gray, you are now responsible for team JNPR."

"But-"

"That's not debatable," Ozpin firmly speaks. "I'll hear no more arguments."

"Tsk," you look down at the men and women. "…fine…" You begrudgingly say. "But-"

"We'll discuss your involvement with this case another time," Ozpin smiles, his tone back to normal.

"I'll hold you to that. Come on," you flick your head towards the elevator. "If you're my team I need to make sure you're ready."

"Ready?" Jaune repeats, looking at his teammates.

The others shrug before getting out of their seats and following you into the elevator. You give Ozpin one last look before the elevator closes.

"Professor Ozpin… are you certain it's wise to let him work on this case?" Glynda inquires.

"I do," Ozpin nods. "There's no better person, in fact." Ozpin turns chair to face Glynda. "Could you summon Qrow for me? It would be much appreciated."

"Of course," Glynda bows her head before heading towards the elevator.

Ozpin waits for her to leave before sighing. "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this," Ozpin steps out of his chair and walks to his window, taking in the view. "But it appears I have no choice… I have to make sure she's truly free."

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 _I have to make sure that was them. If I check the cave… their bodies would still be there, or at least their weapons. There'd be something letting me know._

"(Y/N)?" Pyrrha's voice breaks derails your train of thought.

"Yeah, what?" You shake your head before looking.

"Well… you brought us here," she gestures to the empty training arena.

"Right, yeah," you step back and stand in front of them all. "Grab your weapons from the locker room."

"Are we..?"

"You're going to fight me. Go get your weapons," you repeat. "No questions."

Pyrrha shuts her mouth, not wanting to disobey your order. The four slowly walk through the hallway to the locker room, leaving you to your thoughts. You huff, starting up at the ceiling.

"Let's see if they're even competent."

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"Attack whenever you feel like it," you state, standing in the middle of the four.

They look to each other, unsure whether to actually do it. Your arms are down, your stance is casual – you don't even have your weapon out.

"Hurry up… or do you want me to make the first move?" You eye Nora and Jaune, the two in front of you.

The four look between each other before all rushing at the same time. Nora jumps high to attack from above, Ren stays low to hit you from below while Jaune and Pyrrha go in for a slash and stab respectively. You roll your eyes.

 _How standard._

You grab your blade and slash towards Ren, the pure power behind the slash sends a sonic wave that knocks the boy back. You spin around and deflect Jaune's attack while also catching Nora's hammer with your left arm. She, Pyrrha, and Jaune are taken back at the fact you caught her full power swing like nothing. You throw her to the side while also spinning and kicking Jaune in the ribs. They both crash into the wall, the sound of impact is overshadowed by the clash of steel between you and Pyrrha. You hold her blade back with your knife. Her arms are shaking as she does her best to push you back, you stand calmly with your cold eyes. She almost falters right there. Never before has she felt this chill from a mere stare.

Pyrrha hops back and changes her weapon into the spear. She extends the spear once, you lean your head left, and again, you lean right. For the third time, you duck under it and extend your material around her ankle. You grip the bandage and throw her into Nora, who attempts to attack again. The two girls slam against the wall and fall to the ground.

"You're predictable. You're weak," you bluntly state. "You need to mix things up with your weapons. Nora," you turn to her. "You have the hardest hitting weapon. People expect you to come from above, to hit them with the assistance of gravity. On the other hand, Ren," you shift you see him. "You have the lightest weapon. You coming from below was plain as day. If I'm to suggest anything, it's to vary your fighting style. If you were fighting someone who intended to kill you, predictability is your greatest enemy. Always fight like they know who you are – inside and out."

"So," Jaune gets to his feet and scratches his nose. "We have to learn… fighting styles?"

"Not you. You need a fighting style, to begin with. Pyrrha attacked me with precision and aim. You swung wildly. Did you even get any training?" You ask with a raised brow.

"Uh… heh… hehehe," Jaune rubs the back of his head.

"Right," you cross your arms. "It's actually surprising how you survived."

"Hey," Nora whines.

"Don't complain. You're my problem so that'll change. You won't die on my watch. That's a promise."

Somehow, despite your less than motivational attitude, they all believe that statement. Be it the tone of your voice or the look in your eye.

"Now, back to training. If you don't get stronger than I will leave you for dead.

And it's gone.

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"Ah," Jaune stretches on his bed. "I've never loved this bed so much."

"It was quite intense," Ren agrees. "But I believe exercise like this is beneficial."

"Exercise?" Nora shouts, huffing and puffing on her bed. "That was more torture!"

As the three continue to complain, Pyrrha silently sits on her bed. She thinks back to what you said, to the way you handled her entire team. She's almost mad at herself. She was always praised for her fighting prowess, her ability to overcome both human and Grimm opponents no matter what. Yet here you are, defeating her over and over without breaking a sweat and even saying her technique is lacking.

As disappointing as this is, it's also motivating. A fourth year as skilled as you teaching her team how to better themselves. Though, she does wonder why you weren't at the hall, to begin with. She saw you once and would recognize you when teams were being assigned.

 **Knock Knock**

Pyrrha looks over at the door before stepping off her bed. "I'll get it." She opens the door and smiles. "Hello!"

You're as stone-faced as ever, holding a scroll in your hand. "You forgot this, Jaune," you say before tossing it to the blonde boy.

Jaune fumbles for a moment but grasps it with both hands. "I didn't even know I lost it? It was in my pocket!" He moans, quickly checking his pockets.

"That's all I wanted. I'll see you four tomorrow after class."

"More training?" Ren asks.

"Mhm," you slightly nod your head while you turn away. "I also put my contact information in your scroll, Jaune. If there's an emergency or you want some extra training then message me. That goes for all of you," you look down at your left arm and wince. "Right… have a good night. I'll be away from the school until morning, so…"

"Where are you going?" Pyrrha inquires, curious where anyone would be going so late.

"Places," you bluntly answer before walking away. "Get some sleep."

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You stand at the grave with your scroll out, typing with a hint of annoyance. You planned on visiting the cave, despite Ozpin's wishes. Unfortunately, the only person you know who could fly you under the radar is unavailable right now.

"Tsk, of course. Hm…" You stare at the names. "Are you really gone? There's no reason you'd attack Beacon, then… unless you're now against Beacon. Do you hate us now… do you hate me? I wouldn't blame you," you shake your head, slightly chuckling. "I hate myself too." You look down at your left hand. "Hm…" You think back on team JNPR. "I won't… let you die."

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You quietly write down all the notes in your booklet. The sound of your pencil dancing along the page as you write. Of course, they'd have you write a three-page assignment on the different techniques utilized for at least two different Grimm types. For assignments like these, you're usually meant to read all of them for new strategies or a refresher on techniques you already know. You'd rather actually put these into action but then you'd get scolded by your professors. They'd been very protective of you since your team passed, despite your clear annoyance on the matter.

You dot your last period and slide the pages away from you. You have nothing left to write about so you scan the class for a moment. You're at the back of the class in the corner. Nobody sits around you anymore so you can practically spot everyone. Your teacher quickly notices that you're no longer writing and decides to make her way towards you. She's an older woman around Port's age but she's extremely intimidating considering she's over six and a half feet tall with the muscle to match. She may have gray in her hair but she could rip a Beowolf's arm off.

"You're finished?" She asks before stopping behind you.

"Mhm."

She looks down at her scroll and huffs. "Very well, you may leave. There are only ten minutes left anyway."

"Mm… thanks," you grab the scroll on your desk and make your way out of the room.

You open the door and quietly shut it behind you. Once you look forward you stop in place.

"Mm… what're you doing here?" You remark, crossing your arms.

"Here looking for you," he replies, checking if there's anything left in his flask before putting it away. "You wanted to come with me, right?"

"I wanted to go on my own… but I guess that's not going to happen, is it?"

"Of course not. I thought you were supposed to be smart," Qrow taps his head. "Could be dangerous, even for a Huntsman like myself."

"So I'm not just a ball and chain?" You sarcastically remark.

"Of course you are. You think I'd want you to cover my back?" He sneers. "I just hope you don't get me killed."

"Tsk," you grind your teeth at the back of his head. "Whatever."

You follow Qrow out of the building and past some of the Beacon architecture. It's sad that your conversation has to be stale… or non-existent. It's not surprising to you, anymore. You're used to it. The Bullhead is warmed up and ready to go, waiting for you two. Without a word, you both take a seat in the Bullhead before it takes off towards the forest.

You look out the side, staring at the scenery to distract your mind. You can feel your leg bouncing from anxiety. Despite everything, despite all the bravado, you're nervous about going back. You're not sure what you're going to find considering your encounter the other day. If their bodies are there, then who were the imposters? If they're not… then what do you even do? You don't have that answer just yet. You don't even know what a good answer will be.

So, after a short flight, the Bullhead slows to a hover and lowers itself into the clearing before the cave. There's no Grimm around, thankfully, so you can investigate without having to clear the area out first. You and Qrow hop out of the Bullhead and approach the cave.

"Getting chills?"

"No, it's fairly warm," you reply with little emotion. "Have people been excavating already?" You point out, noticing the cave isn't filled to the brim with rocks.

"Oz has had people here, yeah. It's not completely done, though," the Huntsman explains as he walks ahead of you and into the cave.

You enter the shadow cast by the stone ceiling and walls, getting a knot in your stomach just from being here.

"So he's been doing all this behind my back?" You say with a hint of annoyance.

"You expect him to relay everything to you?" Qrow snickers. "How much self-worth do you have in that head of yours."

"Not much," you roll your eyes.

The long, stone hallway feels like it takes forever to traverse. Every second is hell for you since you remember everything. You remember sending them into this cave… you remember sending them to die. You're so lost in thought that you bump into a stationary Qrow, annoying the man a bit.

"Couldn't see me?"

"Lost in thought."

"Mm… well, there's only a bit left," he gestures to the stone wall.

"I can handle it, I think," you say, stepping past your elder.

You place a hand on the closest rock and let your bandages wrap around each individual rock. Using your Semblance to this extent takes a toll on your Aura, but that's what Qrow's here for. Once you have each rock wrapped up like a present, you crush them all in an instant. The crunch of the rocks echo through the cave. The dust settles and reveals a path into the large room that shattered everything.

"You were never here, right?"

You shake your head before walking forward, leaving Qrow behind. You remember reaching out to Neo as she pushed you back… yet there's nothing here. You kneel down at the entrance and look for any signs of blood stains, ripped clothes, bones, anything… but there's nothing. You stand up and jog into the room.

There's nothing here… at all. The walls are rough yet clean. The ground is dusty yet untouched. It's like there was nothing here before, like nothing ever happened. You look down at your hand.

"There had to be something here…" You think aloud.

"Your arm, it changed here, right?"

"Yeah…" You mumble.

"I'm starting to see why you're distressed," Qrow approaches the wall and drifts his hand down the stone. "This isn't what Oz said it would be. Things are missing," he looks around the room. "Lots of things."

"So… they're alive?"

"Maybe, kid… maybe… I hope not," Qrow slips out his scroll and sends a message to Ozpin. "We'll have to see what Ozpin says."

"So those were…" Your voice trembles. "I… it can't be… but where's that glow? What gave me…" You look at your left hand. "What exactly…" You clench your fist. "Damnit… I hate being in the dark like this."

"Ozpin says we come home."

"What?" You turn to Qrow. "But what about investigating? Figuring out-"

"That's someone else's job. We have a few problems back in Vale that need our attention."

"Vale? What's wrong?" Your tone shifts to a curious one.

"Flood of missing persons' reports, apparently. But that's nothing you have to worry about. You're going back to Beacon," he slips his scroll back in his pocket.

"You think I can just sit at Beacon knowing this?" You take a few steps towards him. "I can help!"

"Lots of people can help, kid," he turns away. "You've done enough."

You grind your teeth and watch as the caped Huntsman walks out the exit and down the hall. You have no retorts, nothing to argue with. You huff. "Missing people? Why wouldn't the police handle that?" You cross your arms and think. "The hell's going on around here?"

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Pyrrha slides across the grass, her blade cutting through the ground in an attempt to slow her down. The young huntress-in-training pants as she stares up at you. Your hands are on your hips, not a care in the world.

"You're still too straightforward and you don't use your Semblance enough in battle. I thought you were attempting to surprise attack me but… well," you shrug. "Nothing."

Pyrrha pushes off her knee and stands up. Okay… again."

"Why?" You tilt your head. "I ended training three hours ago. The rest of your team's already sleeping or studying. Why're you still here?"

"Because you have more to teach me," she says with a smile. "I want to be the best… people expect the best from me. But you've shown me that there's still so much I have to learn. I have to keep improving… for them… and for myself."

You can see the determination in her eyes. She really believes she needs to get better, though…

"You shouldn't get stronger for others."

"What?"

"You say it like it's necessary. Like you have no choice but to be stronger because other people want you to. You should be stronger because you want to," you step over to your water bottles and grab them, then stroll towards Pyrrha. "Nothing is admirable about becoming stronger to protect people. We're training to put our lives on the line for that specific purpose. Everyone here wants to protect people," you stop in front of her and hand her the water bottle. "Become stronger because you want to. Public appearance doesn't matter."

Pyrrha takes a few swigs of water before responding. "You say that… but I know you don't care."

"Mm?"

"I asked about you... about your team." You become visibly distant at the mention of this. "You remain distant from everyone anyway. You wouldn't know what it's like to have the spotlight on you… for everyone to always be judging every action and-"

"Stop," you cover her mouth with your bandaged hand. "You're going to contradict yourself. Clearly, despite my efforts to remain solitary, people still judge my actions. I'm the man who lost three teams, the lone survivor, the failure, anything… People will always know me… people will never forget, no matter how hard I want them to." You take your hand off Pyrrha and turn around. "We're done for the day. Finish that water and get some rest."

Pyrrha watches as you walk away, trying to figure out what to say. In a spur of the moment decision she shouts. "You're not alone anymore! You have us!"

You stop and look over your shoulder, chuckling. "No, you have me. It's better that way. You won't die."

" _Not if you're there."_

You pause for a moment, hearing those words echo through your mind while flashes of CVFY come to mind. Their corpses, JNPR's scared faces… and you weren't there. You shake your head and keep walking.

"Even if I was…"

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Ozpin taps his hands along his cane as he stares at his desk. Everything is gone from the cave… it's not the first time those contents have been moved, but he hoped that after it collapsed you would be the last remnant of it. He can handle that. But knowing that it's gone, that things are still out there… He can't help but worry for the people of Vale… and even you. As much as he wants to keep you away from all this, you're the only one who's personally involved. He's not referring to your personal motivations either.

His elevator dings before opening for the elusive Huntsman. "Oz, what's the situation?" Qrow asks as he walks in.

"I…" Ozpin taps his cane for the last time. "I believe we have a serious situation on our hands, Qrow. I need you to do some reconnaissance for some time. We need to find where the orb went and who moved it."

"What about those people JNPR mentioned? Are they really..?"

"If they are… they're not who they used to be anymore," Ozpin truthfully answers. "I'm sorry, Qrow… we can't bring them back."

Qrow places a hand on his cross as he takes a deep breath. "I know… I know." He exhales and returns to a normal stance. "I'll let you know what I find, Ozpin."

"Thank you," Ozpin bows his head.

 **Yep, another chapter! I know, it's really easy when chapters are this short and I know what I'm doing. I mean… I always know what I'm doing but short stories are a little easier to go with. In all honesty, I'm still kinda making it up as I go. You all know that when I write a chapter I have a general idea of what I want accomplished. I just write until I feel I've achieved my goal. It's just a bit easier since short stories are, well, short. There's not as much to worry about. Plus there's no, "Man, I gotta hit at least six thousand words." Actually, I say that, but I more aim for five thousand with my main stories. I'm trying not to care as much anymore. You could call that me being lazy but I call it having a little more fun. This is a hobby, after all, I don't want to treat it like work.**

 **Heck, even incorporating Pyrrha moments is weird. I'm not a romance writer, as some may have noticed. It's just not my forte. That's why I'm excited to write something like Love Live after this. That'll be pure fluff and romance, which will push me to improve. May make Crimson Shadow, Limitless, and future stories better. Or not, who knows. I'm more of a plot and action writer anyway. I do know some people dislike that. You read an "X Reader" to see the pairing, but for me, the pairing is a background thing – a subplot. It should be more prominent though… but, whatever, we'll see how I do it in the future. I guess it's more on my mind for this since I like developing the connection between characters more before actually starting the romance. Crimson Shadow took twenty chapters, Limitless will probably be more than that, and this… well, this story won't even be ten chapters. So the romance feels like it might be rushed. But that's where my self-taught writing skill has to come in! I haven't done this for four years just to suck now.**

 **I hope you're enjoying it, though. I do really like this idea and hope you will too by the time it's done. Honestly, I almost scrapped this idea. It's thanks to thenameisntimportant and That Saiyan Joe that this is even being written. They liked the idea when I explained the base premise to them and encouraged me to write it. So you sorta have them to thank for this. Anyway, I've rambled long enough. I'll see you guys next chapter!**

 **Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter!** _ **Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan**_

 **I recently revamped my to include a few more rewards with a steadier donation price. Things like one-shots, short stories, and full stories are a thing now! Plus there's a Discord reward for a dollar, so that's sort of neat. You can check it out yourself if you're interested. It's completely optional, of course!** _ **Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan**_

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!**

 **A special thank you to supporters: Manuel Garcia, James Tubbs, MazMan, MTX and Sassylemons**

 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader: Nobody cause the story is too short to bother and I don't really care if there are a few mistakes here and there.**


	4. Chapter 3: The Shadows Strike

**Chapter 3: The Shadows Strike with Burning Blood, So Here's a Treat for your Trouble**

"It's awesome that we get to search for these people," a young man repeats as he and his three friends wander the streets of Vale at night.

"I don't think so," his female teammate responds. "We have nothing… it's just empty."

"I don't know whether I'm happy about that or not," another female rolls her eyes. "This sucks. It's not worth skipping class tomorrow."

"No way, the leader shakes his head. "Trust me, we walk around for a few hours and then we get the day off!"

"Help! HELP ME!" The team hears a girl screaming in the distance.

"CLCM, let's move," the leader shouts, brandishing his blade and sprinting ahead.

The four students run down the road and cut into the alleyway. There, a young woman is on her side, crying. She leader slows down and sheaths his blade.

"Hey, are you okay? We're Huntsmen-in-Training. We're here to help," he slowly approaches her.

"Come on, grab her and let's get out of here," the third girl speaks, looking to the sky.

Unfortunately, she barely missed two shadows leaping over the building.

The leader kneels down and places a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Come on, it's okay."

The woman stops crying… she's happy. They can't see it, but she's smiling… and her eyes are shining red.

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"More and more people are going missing every day. Vale police are now endorsing a curfew for any non-combatants. Please keep yourselves safe. In other news-"

You shut the scroll and toss it to the side of your bed while you lay back on the comfy mattress.

"Missing person's, huh? Damnit," you start stretching your fingers till each crack. "It's been two days since we found that cave and still nothing. I feel so useless here."

You rest your hand behind your head and sigh. "If Ozpin expects me to sit here and-"

 **Knock Knock**

You look to your door and immediately start wondering who's there. JNPR? Ozpin? A teacher? A fellow team? You shift off your bed and approach the door, deciding to just check rather than brainstorm. With a quick opening, you're greeted with the Headmaster.

"Ozpin?" You raise your brow. "It's Friday… I assume you have some sort of mission for me?"

"Team CLCM has gone missing," he bluntly states.

"What? They were the second best third-year team!"

"I know. May I come in?"

You step aside and let the elder man inside your dorm. "They were patrolling Vale, right?"

"Indeed. Unfortunately, they're the third Beacon team that's gone missing," Ozpin sighs. "We lost two Huntsmen, countless policemen… something is hunting in Vale. I would like you," he turns to face you. "To find it."

"I'd rather be focusing on the cave," you retort.

"This may be related to that. (Y/N)," Ozpin steps closer to you. "When the cave collapsed, you were cursed with-"

"I know," you bark, lifting your left arm. "What does…" You stop to think, pushing your sudden rush of emotion aside. "They were enveloped in whatever the hell took my arm… if so…"

"I believe your former teammates were taken by that power," Ozpin states, eyes sharp and serious.

You cross your arms and think. "Fine… I'll search for this hunter. But if they're not one of my teammates then I demand to be on the front lines of the investigation. I want to figure out what's going on."

"Very well," Ozpin bows his head. "You know, it's interesting that I have to bribe you to go on a mission."

You walk past Ozpin and stop at the door. "Yeah… Ozpin," you look over your shoulder. "If you're hiding something from me…"

"We'll talk about it later," Ozpin smiles. "We need to focus on finding everyone who's gone missing civilians and students. Afterward, I'll let you know everything I know."

"Alright then," you continue walking. "Consider it done."

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Ren and Jaune clash, using all their power to outdo the other. You, Pyrrha, and Nora watch from the sidelines as the two train. The sun is slowly setting, giving Beacon a beautiful glow. Ren hitches his one gun onto the Jaune's blade and flips it around, disarming Jaune for Ren to finish it with two swift kicks. The leader is knocked on his butt, weaponless, while Ren aims both his pistols at him.

"Good job, Ren," you speak. "Jaune, you lose every time…" The golden-haired boy sighs. "But you're getting better. Be proud of that."

Jaune looks up at you and smiles. "T-Thanks… I'm really trying."

"I know… but you'll still die if you go out in the field."

"Awww," Jaune falls back on the grass.

"Speaking of," you check the time. "You're all excused for the night. We'll meet tomorrow."

You slip your hands in your pockets and start to walk away.

"Jaune," Nora sharply whispers.

"Why do I have to?"

"You're the leader!"

"I can ask," Pyrrha chips in.

"He's walking away," Ren points.

You stop, rolling your eyes and regretting your actions. "What?" You ask while turning around.

"Well," Jaune gets on his feet and brushes himself off. "You're our mentor so we thought, well… maybe you'd want to hang out with us?"

"No."

They all slouch over, darkness covering their eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes," you blandly respond. "I have a mission. I don't have time to 'hang out,'" you say with quotations.

"What mission?" Ren inquires.

You sigh.

 _I walked into that one…_

"The missing people in Vale. I've been asked to investigate."

"So are we coming with you?" Nora asks.

"No."

"Please?" Nora slaps her hand together.

"No."

"It would be beneficial for both of us," Pyrrha remarks, placing a hand on her chin. "You'd see our ability in the field and we could form a better rapport."

You let the upper lids of your eyes fall. "Really… eeh," you slide your hand down your face. "Fine. But if I tell you to run then you run. Whoever is kidnapping these people have defeated Huntsmen and other teams. You're not ready for someone of that caliber."

"Oh… great," Jaune wipes the sweat off his brow.

"Well, come on then," you wave. "You asked to follow – I won't wait for you."

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You and JNPR exit the airship just as darkness falls upon Vale. You keep hands in your pockets as you lead the way down the street.

"It's so empty," Pyrrha notes.

"I know," you reply. "If a police officer approaches us then leave that to me. Nobody is supposed to be out at night."

"Curfews? I didn't know it was that serious," Ren speaks his mind.

"Yeah, it's not good," you nod. "That's why we're here. We're going to set everyone's mind at ease."

"Help people?" Pyrrha remarks.

"Mm… yeah," you coldly respond, knowing what she's trying to hint at. "Keep your eyes and ears out. Never go off on your own."

You stop at a set of lights and look both ways. Not for cars, but for people. Anyone who still out that isn't a Huntsman or police officer needs to be escorted home. But you're also looking for clues as to what is capturing people around Vale. You take a left, leading the group down a new street.

"How long are we going to be out here?" Jaune asks.

"As long as it takes. I said I'd find this guy and I intend to."

"You're not scared?" The same boy asks.

"Of course not. It's just some maniac. Nothing to fear in that regard."

 **Thump Thump**

You stop in place, nearly quivering at the sudden thumping in your left arm. It's a pulse, almost like a signal. It shakes your entire arm, despite…

"Hm," you look around the immediate area for any signs of… anything. Movement, sounds, disrupted buildings. Everything seems fine, but your body is telling you otherwise. Your eyes shoot from one place to another, taking in every bit of information possible.

"What's wrong?" The redhead asks.

"Nothing," you say, continuing to scan your surroundings. "It's nothing… I just have a bad feeling. Keep your weapons out at all times," you look back at the four younger students. "We're not going to be ambushed."

In response, they all grab and activate their weapons, keeping an eye out for any suspicious movement. Jaune starts sniffing the air then smiles.

"French fries."

You turn around and raise your brow. "Really..? Wait… where?" You start smelling the air too. "Why… come on, let's follow it."

"Really?"

"We're not getting any."

"Aww…"

Your group runs down the barren street, though a littered and damp alleyway, down a flight of used, stone steps, and finally turn right to find a fry truck happily parked in a parking lot. You all stop in front of it, now intoxicated by the scent. You approach it first and knock on the small, metal tray that sits before the window.

"Excuse me. My name's (Y/N) Gray, I'm a fourth-year student at Beacon Academy. There's a curfew, so…" You realize nobody is responding or even approaching the window. "Hm… watch the window."

"Right, the four respond.

You move around to the back and open the door. While the wonderful wave of fries washes past you, a sad sight is there to accompany it. "There's only a hat. He was taken…" You enter the truck and turn off all the cooking equipment. "This was recent… the food isn't burnt."

You hop out of the truck and return to your teammates. "The sun's just gone down and we've already lost someone. I feel like we're going to attract trouble sooner than I thought."

"Why's that?" Ren asks.

"Because they know we're looking for them," you snicker. "We're not going to play your game!" You shout, looking to the rooftops.

Nothing responds. Silence keeps its cold grip on the night. You roll your eyes and start walking. "Come on. No point standing around."

"Isn't wandering part of their game?" Pyrrha points out.

"Mhm," you nod. "But we're making our own rules."

The four look between each other, searching for an answer to your vague statement. You roll your shoulders and scan the rooftops. "They have to be there. It's the only way they'd be able to move quickly and…" You stop in front of an alleyway and look down at it. "Hm… Jaune!" You shout over your shoulder. "Can you check the alley real quick?"

"M-Me?" Jaune nervously replies, to which you nod. "Ugh… fine."

"Um, (Y/N)," Pyrrha steps beside you as Jaune tippy toes into the alley. "If they're in there then-"

"Don't worry," you cross your arms. "He won't be harmed. I promise. But he's very easy bait."

"You're using me?" Jaune shouts from the middle of the alley.

The moment he turns around to shout, you spot a figure appear from the shadows. You burst off your foot and throw your bandage forward. The combination of your speed and the reach of your bandage pulls Jaune out of the way while you clash with the shadow's blade. You push against it, eyes sharply staring into their amber ones. In a split second, another body pops out of the first, flipping over you and attacking from the top. What throws you off is that whatever you're still clashing with has matter. The sharp blade is still pushing against you.

You push back and dodge the attack from above, sliding to the edge of the alley.

"(Y/N)!" Nora shouts, readying her hammer.

"Stay back!" You quickly reply, eyes locked on your opponent.

They fall on their feet and stand still, slightly leaning to show off her feminine features. Her glowing eyes stare back, eying up her prey.

"(Y/N)… a beautiful kill," her quiet whispers echoes.

"(Y/N)!" Pyrrha shouts, dodging the second foe from above.

Their attack shakes the ground, crushing the cement and sending dust flying everywhere.

"What?" You turn around to check your allies. "JNPR, run!"

"Distracted," the whisper is heard directly in your ear.

Before you can turn around you feel a foot connect with the side of your head, changing your course and sending you flying back into the alley. You flip around to recover but that leaves you blind to the kick to your spine. You're sent right up to the rooftops where, once again, you're kicked away. You land on the roof, sliding across the gravel. You flip your blade through your fingers as two figures land on the building with you, completely visible thanks to the shine of the moon. You lower your guard a bit when you see them…

"Blake… Neo…"

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The four members of JNPR surround the impact area, weapons ready to attack. As the dust settles it reveals a blonde girl with long locks. Her clothes are slightly tattered with faded shades of brown, yellow, orange, and purple. Her skin is slightly pale, but not in a natural way. Almost like there's not enough blood pumping through her. She rolls her shoulders, a wide confident smile plastered on her face.

"So you're next on the chopping block, huh?" She cracks her knuckles. "Oh, what's with that look? You think you stand a chance?" The blonde girl starts laughing, her eyes burning a bright red. "Keep thinking that! I'll enjoy beating it out of you!"

Yang bursts off her foot and appears in front of Jaune. The leader has no time to react as her fist digs into his temple and slams him into the ground, causing another small rupture in the cement.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouts, sprinting towards her enemy and throwing her shield.

Yang catches the shield and throws it right back. Using her Semblance, she returns the shield to her forearm and attacks with her blade. Yang catches the sword, unphased by the slight cut she's received. She throws the girl over her and into Nora's incoming attack, sending the champion flying into a nearby store window. Since Nora's now distracted with Pyrrha, Yang leaps toward Nora and drives her fist into the hammer wielder's stomach, sending her flying into the side of a building.

Ren stands his ground so well that nobody could tell he's nervous. He just saw his entire team be taken out in a flash and he's all that's left.

" _JNPR, run!"_

Your words repeat themselves in Ren's head. "He told us we had to run, but," he aims his guns at the crazy woman in front of him. "That's not an option right now."

The young man fires on the girl, though she blocks the shots with her armoured wristbands. The girl gets closer and closer until she can throw a fist. Ren ducks under it and trips the girl, followed by jumping over her and firing more bullets at her. He wasn't expecting a blast to come from her, knocking him a few stories high only for her to jump higher than him and punch him right back down.

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Blake, like Yang, has tattered clothes and washed colours. Not that she had a variety of colours to begin with, but the white has darkened while the black has lightened. She isn't bothering to hide her Faunus heritage anymore. Even her skin has paled over time, same with Neo. She shares the same physical traits as Blake. Her hair is completely white now along with her eyes. There's no variation anymore. The only difference with her is a robe. She isn't allowing anyone to see her body anymore.

"What the hell are you two doing… why didn't you come back to Beacon?" You plead, lip quivering. "I buried you…"

"No, you didn't. You should've confirmed the kill," Blake replies.

"That doesn't answer me. What happened to you?" You raise your voice to a shout.

"We were enlightened… you were too," her eyes drift to your arm. "Why do you hide such glory? Are you ashamed of the hunting power?"

"Tsk," you shift your hand behind you. "So it does have something to do with my arm… if mine was changed… I can't imagine what happened to you all… are the others alive?"

"That doesn't concern prey like you."

"It means everything to me!" You recklessly shout. "It's all I've thought about!"

Blake covers her grin when she lifts her cleaver and katana to that level. "And I've been thinking about this hunt."

Blake pounces forward, jumping from side to side as she rapidly approaches you. Neo simply watches everything transpire before her with a melancholy expression. You raise your blade, a bit hesitant to do anything.

"Blake… Neo, stop this!" You block the left and right attack from Blake before sliding under her and immediately blocking her blades again. "Come back to Beacon! Whatever happened, we can help you!" You duck under Blake's cleaver and block her katana, quickly grabbing her attacking hand so you can block the cleaver once more.

 _She's so much faster… even her strength is insane compared to before. What happened to her?_

With her weapon blocked and her hand caught, you turn around and flip the girl over you, sending her back to Neo. She swiftly lands ahead of her cloaked ally and returns her gaze to you. At that moment, Ren's body soars into the sky for you all to see. Consequently, you also see Yang punch him right back into the ground.

"No… JNPR," you grind your teeth. "I have to get them out of here."

"You're not leaving this rooftop," Blake says, dashing towards you with her body low to the ground.

 _I don't want to fight them, but… I can't afford to hold back. I can't let JNPR get hurt._

You steel your nerves and get into your fighting mode. There's too much on the line to hold back. You sharpen your eyes before bursting forward to attack the incoming Blake. Neo raises her brow after seeing your expression change. Before you two clash, you jump over Blake while simultaneously extending some of your bandages. It wraps around the girl's stomach, letting you throw her over you and slam her on the roof. You immediately pull her towards you, spin around, and kick her to the left, towards JNPR and Yang. You retract the material and follow the cat girl, giving Neo a quick glance to check her movements. She's still remaining a bystander.

 _Why isn't she fighting?_

You jump forward, spinning to charge up your left fist. The second you hover over Blake, you throw your fist into her stomach. She coughs up saliva whilst plummeting into the street. You land a few feet away and scan the area to find your student team. By this point, they're all getting back up and regrouping behind you.

"What do we do?" Pyrrha shouts while helping Ren move.

"Nothing. This is beyond you right now."

"But-"

Yang and Blake break through the dust and go straight for you.

"You think you can fight us?" Blake calmly asks.

"I can't wait to break you! Show you how weak you really are!" Yang laughs, her eyes glistening with enjoyment.

You flip your dagger into a reverse grip while tightening your left fist. You attack with both arms, colliding fists with Yang and blades with Blake. This releases a small shockwave that shatters nearby glass and shakes the students watching. You hold fast, but you feel your body being pushed back on impact. You grind your teeth and start attacking. Blake swings her blades with precision and intent, seamlessly complimenting the flurry of punches and kicks Yang is using. You redirect Yang's fist, block Blake's cleaver, sidestep the katana, counter Yang's foot, catch her fist, weave under the cleaver, block Yang's knee with your own.

Though you're not losing, you're being pushed back. The brawl moves down the street and away from the student team.

"We have to follow them!" Jaune commands.

"Right," they all agree.

"You're tougher than you used to be!" Yang laughs, throwing her attacks out. "How does it feel that we're stronger now? That all your work is pointless!"

You catch Yang's arm and pull it towards you, moving it in the way of Blake's cleaver. The weapon cuts into Yang's arm, stopping at the bone. You quickly shift to their backsides and kick Blake's head into the back of Yang's. Both girls are forced into the ground, face first,, and quickly wrapped up with bandages. You jump into the air, dragging them along with you, then slam them right back into the ground again. With them there, you throw a few sonic waves at the impact area before landing some distance away.

"That'll do some damage, but…" You look at your body. "My Aura capacity's always been lacking. If I don't finish this fast… or if I use my Semblance too much…"

Blake jumps out of the cloud and comes down on you with both swords. You quickly block the two with your own, but another Blake dashes along the ground with her blades ready to strike. To top it all off, Yang speeds out as well and moves behind you.

 _Damnit, they got all my bases covered. I have to-_

"We have your back!" Pyrrha shouts as she and Jaune step between you and Yang.

They slide together and set their shield in layers to block more damage. Despite being so close, their stance is firm so the impact of Yang's fist doesn't knock them both over. Though, it does nearly push them right up against you. At the same time, Ren and Nora try to stop the incoming Blake. Nora comes from below while Ren dashes over her. They don't hit Blake, but the fact that they're there makes Blake second guess her attack. This lets you push back her shadow, turn around, and jump over Jaune and Pyrrha.

You land behind Yang and burst towards her, clashing your left fist with her right one. Now that her back is to Jaune and Pyrrha, they both run forward and attack. Yang blocks Pyrrha's stab with her gauntlet while Jaune manages to slice her chest. You follow up, having your right arm free, and thrust your blade into Yang.

"I'm… sorry," you whisper, pushing the blade even further into her chest as you lift her up and over you then slam her into the ground.

You kneel over Yang with Jaune and Pyrrha a few steps behind you. Nora and Ren stand between their teammates and Blake, while Neo watches from the closest rooftop.

"Yang. Are you hunting?" Blake asks.

"I'm breaking!" Yang starts laughing. "You think you ever stood a chance?" Yang smiles at you, blood seeping out of her mouth. "I'll beat you down," she grabs your blade arm and starts forcing it back. "I'll watch as the hope in your eyes fades… oh, how beautiful it will be!"

Feeling overpowered, you hop back to Jaune and Pyrrha for safety. A sudden burst of power erupts from Yang. A black flame overwhelms her body… a familiar one.

"No…" You grind your teeth. "Not in front of them!"

Yang continues to laugh as her pale skin is hardened to a white, stone texture. Her clothes deteriorate even further, adopting a charcoal black color and texture. Her jacket is completely gone, now leaving a very burnt strap to cover her breasts. Her lower body is the same, only having a burned pair of skin-tight black shorts to keep herself modest. Her hair flair's up, flowing upwards like fire. Her eyes burn blood red, yellow swirls in her skin swoop across the white to add colour. Even her gauntlets merge with her to create an organic launcher around her fists.

You push the two students back, making sure you're ahead. "Guys, you need to leave right now. This is no longer a discussion."

Blake jumps over you all and lands beside Yang. "It appears this hunt is over."

Like Yang, Blake transforms in a similar manner. Her skin changes to a pure white, stone texture. Her hair flares up, swirls of black appear across her skin, only the charred underlayer of her clothes remain. However, Blake's weapons adopt a new look. They're both longer and there's an organic look to the handles now. Her teeth become sharper, ears grow longer, and eyes get even sharper.

"W-What just happened?" Jaune whimpers.

"Go!" You turn around and push the two away. "Get to Vale! Talk to Ozpin!"

"But-"

"You will die if you stay here, do you hear me? I won't let that happen!" You flip tighten the grip on your blade. "Go. Right now."

The four look between each other, all realizing they're outclassed. But none are sure what will happen to you.

"JNPR… come on!" Jaune squints his eyes. "We have to move fast!"

"But Jaune!" Nora argues.

"We have our orders. Let's trust our mentor."

 _So he was right… whatever they found in that cave has changed them. Maybe if we find whatever was there… can we save them?_

"Running away?" Yang's smile widens. "That's cowardice."

In the blink of an eye, Yang disappears from view and appears before JNPR. In one swift attack, she releases a shockwave that cracks every window, crushes every car, and destroys the cement of the road. JNPR is swept away in the blast, but you're there to catch them. You use your bandages to secure and bring the team back down to you.

"Such an insane increase," you whisper. "She's… so strong." You look up at Neo who's remaining a spectator. "Why, Neo? What're you doing?" You set JNPR down and step between them once more. "Keep running! Don't look back for a second!" You flip your blade through your fingers and stand your ground. "You're fighting me, Yang… stand down or it'll be your last fight."

Yang starts with a short chuckle that progresses in a full-on laugh. "You think you'll beat us? You're nothing," she grins.

The two girls burst off their back feet, destroying the cement below. Yang appears in front of you while Blake is behind. You barely manage to react to Yang's attack, though she still slams her fist into your chest while Blake slashes your feet. The momentum forces you onto the road, back crushing what once was for cars. Yang grabs your chest and throws you into the building across the street.

You crash the window and tumble into the back of a couch. You get on your feet and shake your head. "Damn…" You look around and see a woman holding her two children. "Don't worry, I'm a Huntsman-in-Training," you attempt to reassure them.

A sharp sound grabs your attention, forcing your body to instinctively block Blake's blade with your own.

 _Not here!_

You're pushed back by Blake's new, overwhelming power, your feet dragging along the carpet.

"Ma'am… go upstairs!" You say through your teeth. "Keep the kids-"

Yang slides in from the side and shoves her massive gauntlet into your temple, firing off a blast that sends you through the building and slamming into the next building's wall. Blake twirls through the holes and drives both heels into your stomach, then jump off, flip around, and slash your ribs. You bounce along the ground and slide to a halt out of the alley.

"I can barely follow them."

You leap back to dodge Blake's first attack then duck under her shadow's attack. Your bandage extends to the far away highway support and pulls you away from the threat of Yang's attack. You flip around a few times and land, taking a few deep breaths.

 _I'm already almost out of Aura… It's always been a pain._

Yang pulls her arm back and fires off a blast that destroys both supports above you. The highway collapses onto of you, a few cars falling down and crashing into other parked cars and benches. Yang starts laughing even harder while Blake remains silent.

"Look at how pathetic you look now. You're nothing, (Y/N). A failed-"

"Shut up," you throw the cement blocks off of you. "I'll deal with you in a minute."

You walk to the closest car and look inside. An elderly man is unconscious but alive. You open the door and drag him out. You go to the next car and find a husband and wife, both awake.

"What… happened?" The woman moans.

"Don't worry," you rip the bent door off. "I'm here to help."

"You're ignoring us?" Yang crosses her arms and frowns.

You pull the husband out first and then the woman. "You two will be alright, I promise," you say with a gentle tone… before chopping the back of their heads and knocking them out. "Now…" You place the two with the old man, "I'm done playing." You start walking towards your former allies. "Clearly you're no longer the ones I fought with," you stop in the middle of the road and start unbandaging your arm, starting from the shoulder. Round and round, you expose more of your arm. "I loved you guys… all of you. It tore me apart when I failed to save you… so, to protect what I once cherished… I'll kill what I see now."

You get to your forearm where your skin tone shifts dramatically. Your skin changes from its normal state to a grey, stone-like texture with green swirls. You unravel your arm, leaving only a few wraps around your forearm and down to your hand. The rest of the bandages circle on the cement below. You take a deep breath and activate the cursed power in your arm. Immediately, the bandages change to a razor sharp chain that cuts into your skin. The grey and green skin spreads up your arm and across your body. Your eyes glow green, your hair flairs, your chest piece bursts off to reveal your naked skin. Your pants, however, burn and charcoal without falling off. Your blade also glows a hint of green and becomes slightly organic at the hilt. It grows in length slightly yet still remains a dagger.

You sharply glare at the two with a lack of remorse or restraint. From the rooftop, Neo smiles. She's gotten what she came for, and thus runs away. Yang cracks her knuckles and smirks. "That's it! I knew you were one of us! So why not just-"

You blitz Yang, suddenly standing in front of her with your blade in her gut. "I said… I'm killing you."

Both Blake and Yang are taken back by your sudden burst of speed. Yang pushes off you and places a hand on her wound. "You… I was just letting you hit me! You're nothing to my power!"

Your blank expression doesn't change at her words. "Believe what you wish. People always fabricate excuses before they die."

Blake and Yang charge you from each side. Blake releases two shadows to attack from your front and back. You're not surprised that she can make two now. If they have the same power you have, their Semblances have been boosted immensely. Not that it matters. You flick your left hand, waking the chains from their slumber. They wrap around Blake's foot for you to swing her into her two shadows and Yang. You slam the two girls into the rubble they created, then retract your chains.

Yang bursts out of the rubble, her chest heaving with anger. "Lucky shot!" She screams before running towards you.

"No," you dash forward and throw your chains forward. They wrap around Yang's neck the second your foot makes contact with her chest.

You hold her there, slowly pulling on the chains while pushing your leg. Yang does her best to escape, even throwing a few blasts at you, but you deflect them with your blade.

"You're dangerous. You'll hurt innocents," you say in a monotone voice. "Goodbye, Yang."

You pull back your foot and kick with full force whilst also gripping the sharp chains and tugging back. Her body rolls along the street in front of you while her head bounces behind you. The power that once ran through her expires, leaving her exactly the way she once was… but dead.

Blake finally frees herself from the rubble and is met with this sight. "Yang? It seems she found her better."

You appear behind Blake. "As did you," you whisper before cutting the girl in half from the waist.

Like Yang, Blake returns to her original state as all life drains from her body. You can hear the sound of sirens in the distance, no doubt responding to the destruction caused by your fight. Or perhaps by JNPR. Either way, you close your eyes and exhale to deactivate this power. Everything swirls back into your arm with an intense burning sensation. You grab hold of your arm and watch as the curse stops at your elbow instead of your forearm.

You look over at the two bodies of your old teammates. Now that you're back to normal… you feel the sorrow of having to kill them. You fall to your knee and scream as loud as you can. "DAMNIT!" You punch the ground with your gray fist, shattering the cement. "I didn't… you…" A few tears moisturize the ground below you. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," you shake your head.

But there's no time to mourn, at least for now. You stand up and wrap your entire arm up again so nobody can see your curse. As if luck was with you, the police show up right as you're done. You know you'll be answering questions for some time…

 **Well, things seem to be going smoothly. For me, anyway, for you… well, I guess Gray can also be me, so… us. Whatever, my point is this story is going well. I hope you guys are enjoying it! I intend to have it done in October then start another big story alongside Limitless. Though I have been only working on this and a one-shot to really plow through it, so… I don't know, my schedule is weird.**

 **But yeah, this one revealed that you have some extra power in you. I could have kept that a secret but there's no way Gray could be amped Blake and Yang without it. Plus… I mean, it's a short story. If this was meant to be twenty or something chapters then sure, I might not reveal it at chapter three. Whatever, that's irrelevant. Most of this is irrelevant. I just sorta rant at the end for you guys to get a feel for me.**

 **So, with nothing to really say. I'll see you guys next chapter! Again, hope you all enjoyed!**

 **Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan**

 **I recently revamped my to include a few more rewards with a steadier donation price. Things like one-shots, short stories, and full stories are a thing now! Plus there's a Discord reward for a dollar, so that's sort of neat. You can check it out yourself if you're interested. It's completely optional, of course! Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!**

 **A special thank you to supporters: Manuel Garcia, James Tubbs, MazMan, MTX and Sassylemons**

 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning and Nicholas X Wright!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader: Me! Well, Grammarly, but… I mean, I look over it loosely.**


	5. Chapter 4: Duty of a Leader

**Chapter 4: Duty of a Leader**

"Uncle, I know you can hear me. Why'd you run away? I only want to play a little," a sweet voice sings.

Qrow sprints through the forest, knocking any branches or bushes out of his way.

"Uncle, why'd you try and hide? It's your turn to seek me," she continues, her voice echoing through the forest.

Qrow slides behind a tree to catch his breath. "I have to tell Oz. It's-"

"Found you," a quick whisper is heard while a scythe slides onto Qrow's body.

The wielder fires the weapon, cutting both the tree and Qrow in half. They stand on the other side, watching the Huntsman fall into two pieces.

"Oh, that was so much fun!" She hops in place. "I wanna do it again!"

The girl jumps in place, clothes tattered and washed. She lifts her dark red cloak over her head and looks down at the dead man.

"I thought you'd be tougher, uncle. I'm sooooo disappointed."

"You're so immature," a new voice scolds.

Weiss enters from the side, getting the young girl's attention. Following the tend, her bright clothes are washed and dirty, torn and shredded. Her hair is no longer done up in a ponytail, thus her hair flows down her back.

"Our other teammates were defeated," she informs.

"Yang? Oh, that's a shame. Was it (Y/N)? Tell me it was him!" She hops in place.

"Indeed. We're expecting him to come by any day now."

"Oooooh, yes!" She curls into a ball. "He'll be so much fun! I wonder what his blood tastes like," she coos.

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"Be straight with me, Ozpin," you slam your hand onto his desk. "What the hell is this mark? I thought you were straight with me before."

"I told you all you needed to know," he calmly replies, looking up at you from his seat.

"Sure, sure, you have some magical power that isn't Aura and you used that to stabilize my arm and stop that… that woman's words," you stare down at your hand for a brief moment before looking back at the teacher. "So what exactly is this power? How are my dead teammates alive?"

"Well," Ozpin dances his fingers along his cup. "I had hoped this would never come up again. Alright, you deserve the whole truth," he spins his chair and stands up, approaching his window. "A long time ago, I sealed a very powerful, very malicious woman away in an orb. Unfortunately, throughout time, I lost track of the orb and it was hidden from me. She created the Grimm… she plagued our world."

"Made the Grimm? How old… how old are you?" You cross your arms.

"That's a rude question, Mr. Gray," Ozpin looks over his shoulder with a coy smile. "Listen, I apologize," he turns to face you. "When I heard Grimm were converging on that cave I should have predicted it was Salem… but I couldn't send a small army of Huntsmen on my hunch."

You squeeze your fist. "So me and my friends had to suffer?"

"I had no way of knowing… trust me, this has weighed on my conscious for a long time. But now… we can redeem them. We collected and prepared Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna's bodies for burials. You freed them from Salem's grasp, however…"

You walk past his desk and look out the window, placing your hands on your hips. "So I'm caught in some hundred-year-old battle?"

"To put it bluntly, yes."

You sigh. "And there's no way to save my friends?"

Ozpin shakes his head. "If I had not suppressed your curse when I did, it would have taken over and you would've become one of them. That was just with your arm. They've been soaking in it for months…" Ozpin lowers his head. "I'm sorry… they're gone. Puppets for Salem."

"So I'll kill them to save who they once were," you snicker. "How cliché… fine, I can make peace with that. At least… at least I know now. It doesn't make it easier. I led them into some cursed cave to…" You shake your head. "Whatever, what can I do? I can't keep using my arm to fight them."

"You used it?" Ozpin says with a far more serious tone than before.

"I had to. They were also able to transform. I had no way to beat them otherwise."

Ozpin looks at his shoes, deep in thought. "You know if you used it-"

"I know, you told me. You suppressed her power temporarily but if it takes over too much of my body I'm a goner. But that means," you raise your hand to your chin. "If all of them have this power… I'd have to fight them all at once."

"You think you could?"

"No," you shake your head. "Their personalities were different, and their semblances were powered up. Plus, like me, their weapons were enhanced. I couldn't beat them alone when they were normal. Like this… no way."

Ozpin taps his cane. "I see. Be careful, (Y/N)," Ozpin looks at you. "Her power escapes the defeated's bodies and returns to another. The more of them you defeat, the stronger the others become."

"Great," you cross your arms. "How's Qrow doing? You sent him to follow a clue, right?"

"I'll let you know when I have something. For now, prepare team JNPR. You'll need allies to fight with you."

"I'm not sending a first-year team to their deaths."

"You'd rather send yourself?" Ozpin retorts.

"Tsk… I already sent people to death once. I won't do it again," you say, walking towards the elevator. "I want to handle all the clues from here on out."

"That's a tall order."

"It's a request, I suppose," you open the elevator door and enter. "Ozpin… I won't fail."

The elevator door closes and cuts Ozpin off from anyone else. He lets his head sink and sighs.

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You exit Ozpin's tower and are immediately approached by JNPR.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asks.

"How did you win?" Nora inquires.

"Are you in trouble?" Pyrrha adds.

You sigh. "I'm fine," you walk past them. "I'm more intrigued than anything."

"How so?" Ren responds, following you with the rest of his team.

"Ozpin didn't bring it up, but don't you find it strange how everyone who went missing was immediately found after I killed those two?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I don't like it. It's too… too perfect," you roll your shoulders and stretch your neck. "But I can't do anything… I'm stuck here. Look," you stop walking and turn to face the four. "Go back to your dorm. Study, train, whatever. We'll talk tomorrow."

"O-Okay," Jaune nods. "Stay safe."

"Yeah," you wave before walking away.

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You stop in front of the graves, a little thrown off by Blake and Yang's coffins being placed yet not buried. Thankfully, it's a strong wooden coffin so their deteriorated and dismembered bodies aren't on display. You approach the two caskets side by side and reach out to place your hand on the casket. You rest your right arm on Yang's but halt your left from touching Blake's. It hovers just a finger's length away, desperately wanting to rest on it. You retract the hand and let it fall.

"Damnit… You're being controlled by some old lunatic because I…" You tighten your fist. "I'll bring you all together again… I promise. I'm so sorry, both of you… to all of you," you look into the sky. "Even if I die… I'll make sure to avenge you all."

Pyrrha listens from a short distance. She's hidden behind a pillar, listening in. She had a bad feeling about how this is all affecting you. You somehow beat those two, probably wearing your body down to its limit. There's no way you could have won otherwise. You're too pressured, and now that it's clear your old teammates are somehow back and have some chaotic goal. It has to be taxing on your mind.

She takes a deep breath before stepping out from behind the pillar and walking towards you. "(Y/N)!"

You turn around. "Pyrrha?"

"Hello, again!" She waves. "Do you want some company?"

"No."

Pyrrha stops in place and crosses her arms. She's used to this by now. You're going to say you don't want anyone.

"Well… t-too bad," she says with a slight sense of confidence. "I'm here."

You raise your brow. "Is that so? Fine," you walk towards her. "Walk with me. I don't want to stay here with anyone."

"You're not leading me to my dorm, are you?"

"Hmph," you smirk. "No, not this time. "You want to spend time with me? Fine, we'll walk."

"Oh… well, yes! That's what I wanted. Glad you're following my plan."

"Uh huh," you roll your eyes. "Whatever you say. Why are you even here, Pyrrha? You have a team."

"I know. You're one of them," she says with a genuine tone.

"Psh, sure," you shrug. "If that's what you want to think."

"That's what we all think. We're going to be working harder so you don't have to send us away!"

"Hm?" You drift your gaze to her.

"We saw how beat up you were when you came back last night."

"I didn't have a scratch on me," you correct.

"It wasn't your body. Killing your old friends… I can't even imagine it," she shakes her head. "So I can only imagine how much it weighs on you."

"I'm fine," you quickly brush off. "I'll do what needs to be done."

"You're lying," the girls steps in front of you. "You've been extremely distant with us."

"I train you."

"Other teams go out for food, watch movies, enjoy their time together."

"Then get another mentor," you walk past the redhead.

"We don't want another one!" She turns around and shouts. "You're strong and nice… I can see that. We want to help you with whatever is going on."

"Hmph," you turn around, hands in your pocket. "I get it. I do. You four are good kids and I want you to succeed. But if you stick around then-"

" _Not if you're there."_

You grind your teeth and look away. "Why are you so insistent?"

"Because we want you to be our friend," Pyrrha says with a serious, unwavering face. "And friends stick with each other no matter what."

You snicker at those words. It's what they used to say… that team GRAE sticks together no matter what. You always have each other's backs, you keep each other safe. What you thought was keeping people safe was really sending them to death. You want to be friends with these kids, you want to smile with them, but…

"Whatever," you turn around. "Come on. The cafeteria is still open."

"Oh… um…"

"People eat together, no? Or would you rather do something else?" You say over your shoulder.

"N-No! That sounds great!"

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You and Pyrrha sit in the corner of the cafeteria. The sun is going down so not many people are around. You were one of the last people to grab dinner before it closes down for the night. You look around at the others, recognizing faces.

"It's been some time since I ate here," you start a conversation.

"Really?"

"Mhm," you gulp down some of your drink. "I preferred to eat on my own. I'd brush off people's advances, ignore anyone who tried to even talk to me," you ramble, staring off at the wall while Pyrrha intently stares at you. "Well," you look down at your food and scoop some of it up. "Guess I wasn't too social afterward," you say before stuffing your mouth full of food.

"So where do you go?" Pyrrha asks after taking a drink.

"To my room," you shrug. "Or to the training area. I spend a lot of time… practicing," you oddly answer. "There's a reason I'm a top student."

"Are you the top student?"

"Who knows," you shrug. "I don't compare to others. I just know my grades are high. I don't… Gg" You drop your drink as soon as your arm starts pounding.

"Are you okay?"

You look around the room to see if anyone had just entered, or if anyone has made any strange movements.

 _The hell is setting off my arm. It only went off when…_

Your eyes widen as you hop out of your seat. "Pyrrha, stay here. I think one of them might be here!"

"What?"

"Stay here!" You run towards the exit.

"I'm not waiting around!" She shouts back, chasing after you.

You burst out of the cafeteria and look around the immediate area. Your eyes latch onto a large group of students that were abducted by Blake and Yang. You look through the crowd, unable to see any of your original teammates.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" One of them waves. "We heard you beat those crazies up! We could have done it, though."

"Yeah, thanks a ton, (Y/N)! You're the best!"

"Yeah!"

The entire crowd gives you words of encouragement, but you don't like it. Pyrrha can easily tell by your facial expressions. You're not emotionless this time. Your face is clearly tense, your eyes are darting around.

"Do you see anything?"

"No… and I don't like that."

Yet your arm continues to pulse, increasing your worry. Why is it reacting to nothing… or is there something you're just not seeing?

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You couldn't get a wink of sleep last night. Your mind was racing, trying to put the puzzle together without all the pieces. Even with a lack of sleep, you still drag your way through the halls of Beacon to class. You spot a few of the students who were taken, smiling and chatting with their friends. They all talk about how scary it was, how they couldn't escape, how the door was locked until you defeated the two girls.

You give them a bland look as you walk past to class.

"Hey, (Y/N)! How'd you beat those girls?" A group of six approach you from behind, accompanied by one of the kidnapped students.

"Yeah, if teams and Huntsmen couldn't beat them..?"

"I got lucky," you say with a husky voice. "That's it."

"No way," one stops you in your tracks. "There has to be more than that!"

The taken one places her hand on your bandage arm, giving it a slight squeeze. "What secret did you have? What put you above my team?"

You look over at her, eyes sharp and hostile. "Maybe you just didn't have enough training." You pull your arm away and start walking. "Think on that."

"Jeez, how moody."

"Doesn't have to be such a jerk."

"No different than he normally is. I feel bad for his tea-" A bandage wraps around the girl's ankle, pulling her into the air then slamming her in front of you. You place your foot on her throat and stare down at her.

"I wouldn't… because at least they won't lose with me around."

"Hey!" All the students in the hallway surround your small scuffle. "(Y/N), what're you doing?"

You retract your bandages and lift your foot off her neck. "Nothing," you answer with a blank expression. "Just teaching her a lesson."

You place your hands back in your pockets and keep walking. Unknown to you, JNPR is in that crowd and saw it all. Pyrrha's eyes drift down as she thinks on what you may be going through. Hopefully, they can help… cause whatever is wrong seems to be affecting you more than she thought.

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But of course, you barely keep your eyes open for all your classes. You even skipped any combat training because you're just not fit to fight. So, you're done. You can return to your room after you stop in front of Ozpin who's in your way. You look up at the man, clearly unwilling to deal with any bullshit today.

"You don't seem happy considering you're a hero in Vale."

"I don't care for the title. I don't even-"

"Like that fact they were all discovered and unharmed?"

"Yeah…" You stand up straighter, a bit more attentive. "What do you want, Ozpin? Any missions? Updates?"

"No, not yet," Ozpin shakes his head. "I was simply informed that you assaulted a student."

"Oh brother," you roll your eyes. "It was nothing. I'm just… tired," you shrug. "Nothing a bit of sleep will fix."

"If you insist…" Ozpin bows his head and lets you walk by. "And (Y/N)," you stop mid-step. "Qrow will be reporting to me in the next few days. Be prepared to… possibly have a mission."

"I'm always ready."

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You struggle to keep your head straight as your students train together once again. Though your regiment is harsh, the weakest member, Jaune, has improved significantly over a short period of time. He can at least attack and block without falling over or being completely overpowered by his teammates. Even the others have become more unpredictable and flexible in their fighting style, if ever so slightly. Over the year, you're hoping to make them into the best team at Beacon, at least in terms of first years.

"Hello again," Pyrrha greets as she sits beside you.

"You already said hello when we all got together."

"That's why she said again!" Nora defends her teammate, sitting on the other side of you.

"Fair enough," you shake your head and slap your cheeks. "You two are next. Keep watch on what these two do. They're improving more than you. Then again," you look to the two girls. "They had more room to grow, so I'll let it slide. In fact… Nora, go join Ren's side."

"What?" Jaune whines, looking over at you.

"Hehe, yeah," Nora cracks her knuckles while standing. "Get ready for the Nora train, Jaune."

"Whyyyyyyy?"

You chuckle at the scene, proud of your actions. Pyrrha shakes her head. "That's not fair."

"Fights aren't fair. Gotta learn to handle everything. Why don't you go gang up on him too?"

"Pyrrha, please!" Jaune ducks under Nora's hammer and blocks Ren's shots.

"I'm just kidding, calm down," you shout. "You'd be slaughtered."

"Gah!" Jaune leaps back and starts running.

You laugh at the showmanship Jaune is portraying. "I'd help, Jaune, but I'm super tired."

"Well thanks!" He shrieks.

"You can smile too," Pyrrha points out.

You look over at her, brow raised. "Yeah, I guess," you shrug and return your focus to JNR. "Maybe it's cause I'm tired. I think I'm shutting down our training early today," you say while getting on your feet. "I think I have to sleep."

"Okay, I'll take care of them. You know," Pyrrha stands. "You should smile more."

"Heh… yeah, sure," you start walking away. "I'll put it on my to-do list."

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" _(Y/N)! (Y/N)!" A female voice echoes in your mind. The owner of that voice can't be defined, there's too many mushed together, all fighting to be the most prominent. "You gotta help up! You have to come!"_

 _You wander through the darkness, lost and trying to find your way to any sort of light. The voices are coming from every direction so it's impossible to follow these voices to freedom._

" _Come, (Y/N)! We need help! We need help!"_

" _Where are you?" You shout, constantly turning round and round._

 _You turn around once more and are greeted with two, building-sized hands. They're deathly pale with black veins throughout. You have no time to move before they grab hold of you, cutting you off from the outside with no ways of escape._

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Your eyelids spout open as you awaken in a cold sweat. You lift your upper body off the bed and you huff and puff. Your arm is glowing brighter than before, pulsing every second. You look down at the uncovered arm, gray and green as it is. You drag your normal hand down your face and sigh.

"Tsk… great." You get out of bed and head towards the window, gauging the time based on how bright it is. "Sun's starting to come up… looks like I slept for a good while. I do at least feel rested." You stretch your arms up and turn around to head for the bathroom. "Might as well get ready for…" Your arm suddenly pulses more prominently than before. You clench your jaw and look over your shoulder at the window. "Why do I feel..?"

You squint at the window before marching towards it. You swipe the bandages off your bedside table, making it wrap around your arm. You push open your window and lean out, spotting a cloaked individual running across the cement paths. Without a word, you jump out the window and start running, ignoring the fact you have neither your weapon your clothes. The sound of your bare skin slamming against the pavement. You throw your bandage out and attach it to one of the nearby buildings, using it to swing and propel yourself forward. You soar through the air, passing by your hook and rolling across the ground.

"Stop running!" You shout.

The cloaked figure doesn't heed your words. They cut behind one of the dormitories, an act you quickly repeat. They start jumping between the two walls to scale the building. You, on the other hand, extend your bandages to the top of the building and spring yourself up. You immediately retract and throw the same material to the other side of the building, passing your target. You pull yourself towards then and dig both of your heels into their cloak… and only their cloak. It falters under your feet with nobody to sustain it. You retract the material and look around to see if they're still nearby.

"Damnit… who the hell was that?" You step off the cloak, kneel down, and lift it. "Hm… was that Neo? She, Yang and Blake wore something similar. What was she doing here?" You stand up and approach the edge of the building to check if anyone is around. "So they're here? Why? I gotta tell Ozpin." You grab the cloak and throw it over yourself to cover up. "No time to run back for clothes. I'll just use this."

You jump off the building and, as soon as your feet touch the ground, you burst forward and run towards Ozpin's tower.

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"Did you actually see one?" Ozpin asks, turned away from you in his chair.

"I didn't see it, but I knew. If anyone would know…"

"Indeed," Ozpin looks down at his coffee. "That's troubling… thank you for informing me, (Y/N)."

"Of course," you turn away.

"I've been feeling an influx in that power…" Ozpin speaks, making you stop in place. "Whether that's from them… or you," his tone is sharp for that word. "Is unknown to me. It's clear, however, that they're no longer remaining idle. We'll have to strike soon, else risk panic spreading through the school."

"Especially with the Vytal Festival approaching," you add.

"Precisely. You'll be deployed after I receive Qrow's report."

You don't respond. Instead, you continue your walk to the elevator and leave Ozpin to his work.

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You exit Ozpin's tower, realizing the time that's past. More students are out and about, mostly ones who like to get up early. A few are jogging, others relaxing in the sun, a few are even painting the sunrise. Beacon is always an interesting environment, definitely when you spot your mentor in a strange cloak. Pyrrha stops in front of you, jogging in place.

"Hello!" She waves. "What're you wearing?"

"Long story," you roll your shoulders. "I'm on my way back to change."

"Can I come with you?"

"Why? Aren't you doing a routine?"

"I was about to circle around and jog back. It'd be nice to walk with you."

You roll your eyes.

 _She won't let me go if I object._

"Very well, you can accompany me."

"Super!" Pyrrha smiles. "Sorry if I smell. I haven't showered yet," she ends with a giggle.

"I haven't either, don't worry about it," you wave off, starting to walk with her. "Do you jog every day?"

"Every other day. It's more hobby than anything," she goes on, keeping a jogging form while moving at your speed. "I got into it back at Mistral."

"You're from there?"

"Yes," Pyrrha nods. "I enjoyed my time there."

"Why come to Beacon? Mistral has their own Academy."

"True," she nods. "But something said I should come here. I don't know what, but it did… so I'm here!"

"Cool," you blandly answer.

"What about you?" She smiles. "Where are you from?"

"Doesn't matter."

"It does to me."

You chuckle before looking over at her with a raised brow. "Why?"

"You're my friend, so it matters," she says with a gentle tone, her green eyes warming you up.

"Mm… I'm from Vale. Nothing special about it."

"Do your parents live there?"

"Mhm," you nod. "I was… slightly worried they were one of the ones taken by my former teammates. Thankfully, they weren't."

"That's wonderful!" She cheerfully responds.

"Yeah… they're good people," you look at your arm. "Understanding people…"

"You always look at your arm," Pyrrha points out. "Does it hurt?"

"Eh, no," you shake your head.

"Is it the only place you can use your Semblance?"

"Not… exactly. It doesn't matter. Just a habit," you quickly brush off.

"Are you in bare feet?" Pyrrha chuckles, looking at the bottom of the cloak. "I can hear your feet."

"Well… yes," you hesitantly answer.

"Why?"

"I told you, it's a long story."

"We have time," she smiles, doing her best to make conversation.

You huff. "I… saw someone I wanted to talk to. I wasn't exactly dressed, so I threw this on and went out."

Now, a hint of red appears on the girl's face. "You're… not wearing anything?"

"I have underwear and my bandage."

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" She waves her arms in front of her, getting even redder at the realization.

"It's quite alright, Pyrrha," you say in a far nicer tone than ever before. "It had nothing to do with you."

"R-Right. I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that," you frown. "There's no need."

You look ahead and spot your dorm. The walk took a lot less time than you thought thanks to the socialization. You approach the door and let Pyrrha enter first.

"We have more training today, right?"

"No," you shake your head. "Today is your day off. Do what you will."

"Oh… can we still train?"

You look over at her with squinted eyes. "I… suppose… though I may be unavailable. I have your scroll number so I'll message you."

"When did you get that?" Pyrrha comments.

"Ozpin gave me your entire team's number, in case of emergencies."

"But I don't have yours," Pyrrha says, stopping at her dorm.

"You will later," you continue walking. "Have a good day, Pyrrha."

"You as well," Pyrrha waves.

She watches as you strut off, unwavering in her smile. You share the same, contagious smile. For some reason… you're happy you got to talk.

 **And things are still going well. I'm glad I got to fill out this chapter with everything I wanted without adding another fight scene. I didn't want every chapter from here on out to be a sort of boss chapter. Not saying that's going to happen. You're not in a gauntlet where you fight all your old teammates, don't worry. More will happen. But, as I said, it's all going well. I can definitely tell at this point that it'll be under ten chapters. Things will speed up a little bit, including the romance. While I do like dragging the romance out, this is a short story and so things have to sorta happen faster. Then again, people complained about the twenty chapter wait, so a five or six one shouldn't be too bad.**

 **Anyway, that's all from me. I didn't have much to say this time around. I hope you all enjoyed. I'll see you next time!**

 **Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan**

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 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning and Nicholas X Wright!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader:**


	6. Chapter 5: Weight on your Shoulders

**Chapter 5: Weight on your Shoulders**

You stretch from one side to another after dominating one of your fellow students in practice.

"You left yourself open too many times," you stand up and turn your back on him. "Tighten up your style or a Grimm will tear you apart."

Glynda marks the results down. "(Y/N) Gray is the winner. That was the last match for this class. You're all dismissed."

You scratch your nose as you march up the stairs to grab your supplies.

 _It's been a few days… I thought Qrow was supposed to report back already._

You swing your bag over your shoulder and head for the exit.

 _Maybe I should talk to Ozpin about it before I train with JNPR._

You exit the Coliseum and are stopped by your redheaded apprentice. She waves her hand, smiling. "Hello again!"

"Hello, Pyrrha," you give a quick smirk before returning your gaze forward.

"W-Wait!" She waves her hands as she hops in front of you. "I wanted to talk to you."

"We're seeing each other in an hour for training. Can you not ask there?"

"Well, friends tend to spend time together when they don't have to," she says with a coy smile.

You sigh. "Alright, fine. I'm dropping off this stuff off at my dorm so… I suppose you and accompany me."

"Wonderful, let's go," she turns around, waiting for you to pass by.

You remain silent, not bothering to look over at the girl as you walk. Your eyes do wander to the other students loitering the area. Something about it all is making you uneasy. Though you've learned to ignore it, your arm has been pulsing far more than usual as of late. You can't determine the cause and can't find any of your previous team. Perhaps you were wrong in assuming that feeling was indicating one of them. Maybe the cursed power is trying to spread against your will. If so, you have more reason to speak with Ozpin. Perhaps he can suppress it or something along those lines.

"So… training has been fun!"

"I suppose," you shrug. "It's meant to increase your capabilities more than being 'fun.'"

"I know that," Pyrrha rests her hand on her head and sighs. "But we're all enjoying it."

"That helps increase the effect, so that's a goo-"

"You were more open last time we spoke alone," she says with a slight pout.

You huff, hunching forward. "Yeah… I guess I set the bar too high for me," you stand up straight and look over at the girl. "Fine, how was your day? I assume your classes are finished."

"That's correct!" She replies with far more cheer.

 _Wow, way to change your attitude._

"I helped Jaune and Nora study for the upcoming Grimm Biology test, I tuned up my weapons, cleaned my armour, and-"

You hold your tongue from interrupting considering the fact you don't really care about small talk and her daily activities. You just want to drop everything off and speak to Ozpin. You "listen" to Pyrrha go on and on as you make your way across Beacon and to your dormitory. You stop at the door and flash your scroll.

"Do you want to come in?" You offer as you open the door.

"Oh… okay!" She nods.

You hold the door for her then enter after. She looks around a few items and… empty beds. They're all neatly made, everything is in order and untouched. One is messier with a bedside table hosting an alarm clock and lamp. Her heart drops for a moment at the sight of what you used to have, and how you're likely trying to hold onto it. The pillows, the sheets, everything is too clean and well made. There's no way you're not keeping on top of it.

You enter the room and rest your belongings on the desk. Pyrrha's mood only drops when she looks over to you and spots a picture on the desk. It's you and eleven other people all smiling in front of the dormitories. She places a hand on her chest and stares at the back of your head.

"So, what did you want to…" You turn around and meet her melancholy gaze. "What?"

"Nothing," Pyrrha shakes her head. "I just thought we could hang out again. You know, be friends like last time?"

You roll your eyes and walk towards the bathroom. "Alright, fine. Give me…" You start wobbling and fall against the door frame. "Give…" You look down at your left arm, feeling it gnawing at you.

 ** _"Come (Y/N), come. We're waiting to play."_**

"(Y/N)!" Pyrrha shouts, running to your side. "Are you okay?"

You tighten your fist. "I'm… being called…"

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"Look, I don't like this."

"You told me that," you blandly state.

"I'm only doing this because my sister was one of the people you saved."

"You told me that too," you repeat. "Just get me there in one piece."

"You mean us, right?" Pyrrha shouts from the back.

You managed to get one of your old friends to fly use his work Bullhead to fly you across Remnant. This means you owe him one, but there's something you need to check.

"Ozpin knows about this, right?" He asks

"No."

"Of course," he throws his hands up. "If I get in trouble…"

"It's my fault. Though I'd rather be coming here alone," you look back at Pyrrha. "Just get us there. If I'm right, this has something to do with the people who took your sister."

"Really?" He looks back at you. "Well… man, (Y/N), you're too much to handle."

"Mhm," you pat his shoulder. "We'll be there soon."

"Yeah, just tell me when to set down."

You sit beside Pyrrha and sigh. "You shouldn't have come."

"How could I not? There's no way I'm letting you go off into danger alone."

"I'd be fine."

"I don't care," she says with determination, almost drawing you to look at her with words alone. "You're not doing this alone. We're a team."

"Yeah, well," you look to the ceiling. "Just stay behind me. I don't want you getting hurt."

Pyrrha can't help but smile. "Okay, but if you're in trouble-"

"You return to Beacon and report to Ozpin. You don't help me."

Pyrrha doesn't respond to you that time. She holds her tongue until she comes up with something new to ask. "Will Ozpin be mad we left without informing him?"

"Maybe," you shrug. "Pyrrha… these people are dangerous and possibly plotting something. I'm not joking when I say you need to report to Ozpin if something happens to me." You look at the young girl. "Promise me, okay? If I say run… you run."

Pyrrha huffs through her nose. "Fine…"

You smile at her. "Thank you. Now…" You stand up, feeling the beats in your arm becoming even more powerful. "It's time. Hey, Vereti! Put us down somewhere around here!"

"Here? Alright, (Y/N)."

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You and Pyrrha hop out the side of the Bullhead.

"I'll stay away until you call me, but I'm only giving you two hours."

"Fair enough. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah."

The Bullhead lifts itself up and soars off, leaving you and Pyrrha in the forest. It's an unnamed one off near the center of the continent. It's dark, it's damp, and it's a perfect place for an ambush.

"So… how'd you know to come here?" Pyrrha asks as she follows your lead.

"A… hunch, we'll say," you tell a version of the truth. "I almost hope I'm wrong."

You lead Pyrrha deeper into the forest where darkness takes over. There are bits of mist around, cooling you both off. Twigs and leaves litter the ground, being crushed by your steps.

"I don't like this place."

"Mm… it wasn't meant to be traversed by men," you reply, keeping an eye out for any movement.

"That's… not very reassuring."

"Oh, uh…" You look back at her for a moment. "This forest… used to be one full of bunnies?"

Pyrrha chuckles. "You can't even be confident in your own response."

"Well, I didn't plan on making a story up."

"(Y/N)!" A young voice sings, echoing through the forest. "I know you can hear me, I see you brought a friend. How did you think that would end?"

You and Pyrrha grab your weapons, going back to back and surveying the area. "Ruby…"

"The silver eyed girl?"

"She had a scythe and was fast. Don't hesitate if you see something," you whisper.

"(Y/N), I'm so glad you came. I know you'll enjoy my game. (Y/N), you're not leaving here without a kiss goodbye."

"Hmph," you squint. "Is that so..?"

"(Y/N), why not come and find me? Our friends want to play. It's been so long, you must stay."

"Did she always sing?" Pyrrha asks.

"No… but I think we're safe," you lower your weapon. "She wants us to come deeper into the forest… so we'll have to play along for now."

"If it's just her, we can win… right?" Pyrrha turns around and moves to your side. "Maybe we could bring her back to Ozpin?"

"Pyrrha," you shake your head. "It's not going to be just her."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," you respond before walking. "Be on guard. They have a plan."

"How… are you so calm?" Pyrrha asks with a shaky voice as you both go deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Experience. It's different, isn't it? Fighting the Grimm, fighting your fellow classmates… it all pales in comparison to the freaks of this planet," you say, keeping an eye and ear out. "You'll get used to it, don't worry. Just remember, as dangerous as they are, Grimm are not the worst thing on this planet."

"That doesn't sound right."

"And yet you're more scared of these people than the Grimm, no?"

Pyrrha doesn't respond yet still answers your question. "Exactly. I'm almost debating sending you back now…" You look over at her and smirk. "But I know you wouldn't leave that easily."

Pyrrha can't even begin to respond. Between the fear of what may come and the oddly comforting feeling that you're giving her… it's more than she bargained for. Still, she's not going to back down now. She won't let you go off on your own. She tightens the grip on her weapons and restokes the flames of her confidence.

"(Y/N), please bring me more fun… than my uncle did."

"Qrow?" You repeat. "No…" You grind your teeth. "This is where Ozpin set him… damnit," you shake your head. "If I had known… No, I can do this," you whisper. "If they're all here then I'll end this now. I'll kill them, find that orb and-"

"Die?" Ruby whispers from behind you.

You instinctively grab Pyrrha's arm and pull her down with you, avoiding a slash from Ruby's weapon. She flips around and lands in front of you, her hood up yet her silver eyes glowing through. "Wow! You're faster than my uncle! That makes this more fun!"

You raise your blade at her, eyes sharpening. "Ruby…"

"Please surrender!" Pyrrha requests, prepping her weapons.

"That won't work here, Pyrrha."

"No, it won't. Why would we surrender to mongrels like you?" Another voice comments.

You turn around and spot Weiss, one hand on her hip as she sways them. Just from seeing her stance, her walk, and her smile… she thinks she's better than you. It's too obvious to ignore. You've noticed some of their personalities are changing or being drastically focused on. Weiss and Ruby are no exception.

I thought they wanted to lure us farther in… but maybe they want to keep us away… should I send Pyrrha away now? She won't stand a chance if Weiss and Ruby can change like the others…

"So you're still sticking in pairs," you speak aloud. "Blake and Yang… now you two. I guess your Beacon side is-"

"Quiet about that pathetic place!" Weiss sneers. "I am far beyond any of those plebeians!"

"I don't know Weiss," Ruby wobbles back and forth. "You enjoy cutting people down as much as I do," she ends with a sadistic coo.

"Please, murdering the weak is a necessity, like breathing."

"How can you say that?" Pyrrha shouts. "You were Huntresses like me! What do you even get from killing people? Why leave Beacon? Leave (Y/N)?"

 _Damnit, she doesn't know why they changed. She thinks they just abandoned Beacon._

Weiss and Ruby start laughing, their voices swimming around your ears. The fact that they're on either side of you.

"You have no idea, girl," Weiss snickers.

"He abandoned us," Ruby smiles.

"He soaked us in power."

"And left us to die."

"Now we want him back."

"And he won't join us."

"It hurts, (Y/N)," Ruby pouts.

"It's angering. You're better than the others."

"You have a purpose with us."

"Come back to us, (Y/N)."

"Come back to us," they both say.

Pyrrha looks back at you, unsure what you're feeling. She can't see your face since you're positioned towards Weiss and she has Ruby. However, the slight shaking of your body is telling enough.

"(Y/N)..?" She whispers.

"I… mourned you all. It tore me apart that I failed to save you," you say through your teeth. "But… you're not the people I knew," you look up at Weiss with a fire in your eye. "You're fakes – twisted incarnations of people I used to love. Your very existence spits on their memory."

"Aww," Ruby whines. "That hurts, (Y/N). Maybe the others can convince you?"

On cue, seven new figures land around you and Pyrrha. All of them are familiar and share similar changes to RWBY. Neo, still in the cloak from before. Compared to the others, she looks the least happy about all this. Mercury, his mechanical legs are on full display, and he definitely looks the worst. Apart from the general paleness and tattered clothes, he looks the most disfigured. His jaw is slightly out of place, his hair is a total mess, and his head is constantly leaning to the left. Emerald, patches of her green hair is missing and one of her eyes is completely white. Cinder, the most normal looking of all of them, yet her presence demands the most power. Robin, her clothes and hair have started to tear apart. She's far from the beauty she used to be. You almost feel bad for her. Azure, his face is hidden by his mask, and his armour is still intact. He has an eerie feeling to him, like an emotionless executioner. Eton, the fallen Prince Charming. Though his looks hasn't changed much, he's far more devilish.

"You… have to run," you sharply whisper.

"What? But-"

"Pyrrha, if you stay you will die."

"And you won't?"

You fail to answer the question. "Listen… more is going on here then you realize. I'll tell you all about it once you leave."

"Why would we let her leave?" Robin giggles. "She's so cute… can I play with her?"

"Now, now," Cinder steps forward. "Let's not play with our new toy just yet. (Y/N) has to hand her over first."

"Go to hell."

"How hostile," Cinder smirks, pulling her hand back. "Down boy, we don't want to hurt one of us."

"What are they talking about?" Your student whispers.

"I am nothing like you."

"Is that so?"

"Of course not," Eton remarks. "Someone as weak as you could never step up to my plate."

"You're lucky I don't shut that mouth right now," you look to the right and stare him down.

"I-I'm not scared of you! You're nothing to our power!"

"Maybe we should just break his neck?" Emerald brings up.

"No, no, hang him from a tree and beat him to death," Mercury smiles.

"But then I don't get to play with him," Ruby whines.

"I'm with Ruby, let's make a game out of them," Robin rubs her hands together.

They all start going off, stating their own preferences of killing you and Pyrrha. You, on the other hand, are looking for a way to get Pyrrha out of there. You're not going to win without using your own power, and you don't want to use it while the girl is here. You could throw her away, but there are too many enemies that can fire projectiles. Besides, she'd come running back in no time.

 _I have to get them focused on me and move away from Pyrrha._

"So, if you're all here that means the orb is around, am I right?" You lower your guard and start walking towards Weiss. "Mind if I see it?"

"(Y/N)?" Pyrrha sharply whispers.

"You want to see our ladyship's work?" Cinder starts sauntering around the circle to meet with you. "I feel like your intentions are not pure."

"Of course not," you gaze at the girl. "Why would it be?"

"Because you are like us. Tools for our lady. Monuments of her power."

"What is she talking about?" Pyrrha speaks once more.

"Oh, poor girl," Robin whispers, using her Semblance to get right in her ear. "He's infested with power like us. Why do you think he hides that beautiful arm of his?"

"His… arm?"

"Shut up," you bark, shifting your attention to Robin.

"What's wrong? Why hide such authority?" Cinder speaks, regaining your gaze.

"It's a curse. Power from a corrupt woman."

"Is that what Ozpin has told you?" Cinder chuckles. "Oh, poor boy. We just want to spread this beautiful feeling to everyone."

"You're insane," you lift your blade at Cinder. "Sorry if I don't believe you."

"You don't believe me, (Y/N)?" Cinder's voice shifts to a more innocent and… familiar tone. "But… partners trust each other."

You shake your head. "Our partnership died with you."

Cinder's demeanor returns to normal. "Oh well, we'll just take that power of yours by force. Go ahead, have fun," her smile grows wider.

"Pyrrha, move!" You shout, turning around and running towards her.

You extend your bandage to her waist and jump, pulling her away from the enemies and into the forest. Your former friends all chase after you, excited for this long-awaited hunt.

You drag her through the branches and leaves, pushing all of it out of your way to try and flee the scene.

"(Y/N)! St-"

"Shut up! We'll talk when we're safe!"

You cut a larger branch out of the way which leads you right into Mercury's foot. It collides with your face, letting him move atop you and push you down to the ground. You release Pyrrha so she isn't also injured. You all down to the ground and, before you hit the dirt, Azure swings his massive, newly spiked hammer. The impact of his swing and the keenness of his spikes does serious damage to your Aura. There's a small shockwave as he hits you, sending you barreling through the forest, slamming through trees and bouncing along the ground.

"(Y/N)!" Pyrrha shouts as she lands smoothly beside the large, armoured man.

"He's not who you should worry about," Azure calmly says, turning towards the younger woman.

Weiss and Robin land on either side of Azure, both smiling at the redhead. Pyrrha lifts her weapons to prepare for battle. All her training can't go to waste now… she has to get past these three and find you.

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You skid across the grass, ruining it and uprooting the brown. You shake your head and get back on your feet. "Still hits like a truck… he never had spikes, though."

Mercury, Emerald, Ruby, and Eton land around you.

"Can't wait to knock your righteous ass down a peg," Eton cracks his knuckles.

"If anyone was too full of themselves, it was you," you grab your blade and twirl it through your fingers.

"We all get to play again," Ruby claps her hand against Crescent Rose. "It's going to be so much fu-"

You pass by Ruby, your body flaring up for just a moment as your blade cuts through her neck. You return to normal and hear Ruby's body fall on the floor a second after her head connects with it. There's a moment, when you halt, where your heart sinks. Even knowing that these are puppets, lifeless vessels that your friends no longer inhabit, it's still painful to attack with intent to kill. You'll still do it, you'll free your friends, but in no way are you happy about this.

"Rest in peace, Ruby," you whisper before turning to face the other three.

"He changed and returned to normal that fast?" Mercury shouts with more surprise than you'd have thought.

You assume they can change and return that fast too… but it's more of a cost for you.

"It doesn't matter," Eton smiles, sprinting towards you. "I'll kill him."

Your old teammate slams his fists together, activating his brass knuckles to grow into two axes. He spins around and attacks, though you block both attacks. Mercury slides to your left and swings his mechanical leg at your head. At the same time, Eton brings his axes back to attack your right. You catch Mercury's leg with your bandaged arm and pull it close to take the slashes from Eton. You then shift to the right and trip Eton while also slamming Mercury onto the other man. You immediately flip back to avoid Emerald's bullets, hands pushing yourself off the grass and into the air.

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Pyrrha breaks through a tree, breaking in in half and forcing it to tumble. She rolls over her shoulder and onto her knee, taking a breather. Her Aura has taken a beating and she's barely managed to push her three opponents back. It's not like anything she's faced before. These people are ruthless, they're trying to kill her. They're really trying to kill her.

A bolt lands at Pyrrha's side, exploding seconds after. Pyrrha slides to a halt and knocks away the second bolt. Robin runs out from the bushes, firing a constant flurry of bolts. The Beacon student manages to knock them all away with sword and shield alike, going to a stab when Robin gets close enough. The woman slides to the right, hooking Pyrrha's sword with her right crossbow. It pulls the girl off-balance for Robin to jab Pyrrha's chest then fire another explosive bolt. The young girl loses grip on her weapon and rolls across the ground. She manages to recover and attract her weapon back to her hand, cutting yet another bolt in half. Pyrrha throws her shield at Robin's legs and knocks the corrupt girl over. Pyrrha jumps forward and lunges downward, though her blade is redirected by Weiss' rapier. She pokes the blade and then stabs Pyrrha in the ribs. The redhead steps back and blocks Weiss' follow up attacks.

Robin smirks and begins to whisper. However, this whisper is heard by Pyrrha as a desperate, horrifying scream.

 **"HANGING YOUR PRETTY HEAD ON MY WALL WILL BE SATISFYING!"**

This sudden burst of noise in her ear throws the young girl off, making her stance crumble and allowing Weiss to create a lightning glyph below her opponent and ram Pyrrha into a tree. The girl slides down the wood but manages to get up immediately. However, she freezes when she sees what Weiss is doing. Using her glyphs, Weiss conjured up a black, ethereal Beowolf. Pyrrha's eyes shake at the sight. Someone making a Beowolf? That's impossible.

This display serves as an excellent distraction for Azure, who, despite his clunky armour, has gotten behind Pyrrha without her noticing. With his silent swing, he pounds his hammer through the tree and into the Spartan's back. The young girl drops her weapons on impact from shock, leaving her wide open for the Beowolf that pounces at her airborne form. The sudden shift in momentum throws off the girl's senses, barely granting her time to hold back the Beowolf's hungry maw. Her hands are pressing against its throat and eyes, keeping the beast away the best she can.

"How pathetic!" Weiss laughs. "Dominated by such a lowly creature!"

 **"HOW EMBARRASSING! IT'S SO FUN TO WATCH YOU SQUIRM! IT'S SO CUTE WHEN YOUR FACE GETS ALL RED! DO IT MORE! DO IT MORE!"**

Robin's Semblance wears on Pyrrha's concentration. The constant biting and slippery movement of the ethereal beasts loosens Pyrrha's grip. It inches closer and closer to her neck while Weiss laughs, Robin whispers, and Azure approaches. He stands across from her head… like an executioner. Pyrrha doesn't notice him since her attention is focused on the Beowolf. He takes his stance and raises his hammer over his head… then swiftly slams it down.

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You twirl past Emerald's weapons, landing behind her and kicking her into a charging Eton. You instantly turn around and throw a kick, matching Mercury's in terms of power. You spin around and slam your heel into Mercury's temple while also wrapping some material around his leg. You turn around again, pulling your hand to knock the boy off balance. You then flip backwards to dodge Eton's slashes, then land and block the five attacks from all sides. You weave under his left attack while covering his right in material, pushing it in the opposite direction so he can't attack. You drive your left fist into his stomach, then turn around and throw him over you thanks to the bandage.

Mercury fires a blast from his leg which explodes on contact with your right arm. You slide a bit and focus on Mercury… Mercurys? Four Mercury's stand before you, all preparing to fire another blast from his leg.

 _Right, Emerald's Semblance. I'll have to be careful, if she allows Eton to wrap Aura around me, I'll be finished._

With your bandage still attached to Eton, you whip your hand around and throw him in a sweeping motion, crushing each of the Mercurys against a nearby tree. They all fade back into one, somewhat dazed and confused. You bring your material back and turn to the green haired girl.

 _Wait… if I only had these ones… Neo, Cinder, all the others are with Pyrrha!_

You look back towards the area you came from, unable to see because of the dense and dark forest.

 _Damnit… did she run like I told her to? No, the rest would have come after me…_

"Don't be scared about the girl, (Y/N)," Robin whispers in your ear.

You turn around to see Robin, Weiss, and Azure walking around from the bushes. Azure is holding a beaten, bloody and, thankfully, breathing Pyrrha. Azure throws the girl at your feet. She winces on impact, clearly feeling every inch of pain running through her body. You're about to approach her until Cinder lands beside her, bow in hand. The injured girl barely manages to open her eyes, only able to see blurry figures. Somehow she sees you through it all, staring at her.

"(Y/N)… I…"

"How sad," she looks down at the beaten student. "She looks like she's hurt," the girl looks up at you and smirks. "We… should stop that, no?"

Cinder's bow changes to a blade and she pierces the helpless woman's stomach. Pyrrha yelps in pain, a few tears falling from her eyes. Your pupils shake at the sight.

 _No… Not again…_

Flashes of your friends appear in your mind, then ones of Pyrrha. Her smile, her always trying to talk to you, her vigilant training. The short time you've spent together… and you're going to let her die like that?

 _NOT AGAIN!_

Your dark power envelops your body, but you haven't undone your chains. They dig into your entire arm, yet no blood is drawn. Your gray skin, flaming hair, dark eyes. This form is beautiful to everyone watching. You look at Cinder, eyes sharp and deadly. "You're all dead."

In response to your threat, everyone around you, save Cinder, enact the same transformation. Each of them has a general look among them – white skin with swirls that represent their dominant colour, flaming hair, and red eyes. Each has unique changes, however. Mercury's mechanical legs seems to fuse with a new organic substance, sprouting small spikes from the back of his calves. They also have some light flame to them. Furthermore, also bulks up slightly, ripping whatever's left of his upper body clothes.

Emerald's weapons become much longer and sharper than before after her transformation. She seems to have slimmed down, likely to make her faster and harder to hit. You can only imagine her Semblance has been augmented as well, so she's someone you have to take down quickly.

Weiss' dress extends down her legs to mimic royal attire. Her clothes, like the others, are charred and tattered. She barely resembles what she once was, even with her slightly fleshy and distorted rapier.

Azure's armour blackens over, yet he remains mostly unchanged. You can only assume the same thing is happening to him, but he still looks relatively normal from a mere glance. Robin has lost all her clothes at this point, her private areas only covered by a spiral of bones that slither down her body. She's also lost all her hair, yet gained a wider smile. Her crossbows, instead of becoming biotic like the others, have adopted a bone structure as opposed to wood and metal. Eton has gained a flaming, flesh-based cape that flows down his back. His once ruined hoody has been completely replaced with a set of armour that's composed of bones with small bits of corrupted muscle and skin. Now, he looks like a demented knight.

Cinder and Neo, the latter still being in her cloak, refrains from transforming. They merely step back and watch the situation unravel.

 _I want to kill them all… but I have to get Pyrrha out of here. I won't let her die!._

Your eyes drift down to Pyrrha after examining all your former allies. "How pathetic… you shame me… shame who you once were."

"Our power is far more than yours!" Eton laughs. "We're stronger! I'm stronger! You should have joined us when you had the chance!"

"Why would I join ones doomed to die?" You say before dashing forward and slashing Eton.

His figure dissipates, and soon after all the others multiply. You stop and turn around, immediately recognizing what's happening. You need to find and kill Emerald. You can't even escape with Pyrrha because of the green haired girl and Azure. The man can create a large wall of Aura thanks to his Semblance, and who knows what upgrades it has thanks to this power. So you need to take out those two before you can make an escape. She doesn't have much time left.

You take a deep breath and exhale, listening and feeling out the world around you. One thing you have that they're ignoring… is your arm. They had to have been at Beacon before because your entire body is pulsing in the presence of these people. That means you know when they're closer and farther away, thanks to the experience at Beacon. You open your eyes and swipe your chain to the left, your entire body following the motion. It sweeps around, wrapping around and invisible figures' leg before you pull them close. As soon as the illusion is broken, the rest of your enemies reveal themselves, all rushing in front different angles to attack you. Sadly, you captured Robin with your chain and not Emerald. It would have made things much easier if it was the latter.

You throw her over you and slam her down on Azure, who's more inconvenienced by the girl than actually stopped. Robin bounces off his arm and rolls along the ground, taking a moment to recover before getting back up. Meanwhile, you flip over Weiss' attack then duck and dodge through Eton immediate attack. You grab hold of his left handle, wrapping your chains around his arm and letting the sharp edges really dig it. He snarls in pain while his sharp eyes stay on you. Mercury fires black flames at you from his legs, which you jump up and over Eton to dodge. This drags the boy back as you're still hitched onto his arm. As he stumbles towards you, your foot slams into his jaw. You start pulling back on his arm, absolutely no emotion being shown throughout.

"You were never better than me," you bluntly say before pulling your foot back and kicking while simultaneously pulling on his arm. In a swift motion, you pull his arm off his body. Your eyes suddenly flash back to Yang – when you did the exact same thing to her… except you took her head instead of her arm. Your vision returns to the present as Eton falls on one knee, holding his shoulder.

His allies don't let this slide. Robin, Mercury, Weiss, and Emerald start firing their weapons at you to cover Eton. You see this and try to jump away, but you slam into an invisible wall.

"Azure-"

The blast all connect, pushing you into his spiked Aura wall. You keep yourself as stable as possible as more and more projectiles pound against you. The more that hit, the more smoke shrouds your position. Eventually, they stop.

"Did we get him?" Robin asks aloud.

"He's still touching the wall," Azure speaks up.

"So he-"

Your chain soars out of the dust, slithering through the air as if it had a mind of its own. The chains wrap around Emerald's neck and yank her off her feet and into dust. It was so fast that nobody had time to react. As the dust clears, you stand over a bleeding Emerald. However, there are a few wounds on you as well. Your red blood is tainting the gray and green colour of your skin.

"Emerald…" Mercury sneers.

 _I'm not going to kill them all in a group. With Emerald gone, I can make an escape. Trying to deal with Azure will take too long._

You dash forward at the four, making it look like you're going to keep fighting. Weiss slams her rapier into the ground and instantly summons four Gimm – two Beowolves, a Creep, and an Ursa. Robin starts firing her crossbows at you while Mercury runs in with the Weiss' Grimm. You know Azure is behind you and wouldn't bother making a wall in front or behind you. He needs to attack from behind, he needs to allow his allies to attack from the front. So, you can assume there are walls to your sides. Unfortunately, Pyrrha is more to your right. With that in mind, you jump to the right and push off the spiked wall, then jump off the left and over the right. Though your feet were minorly damaged, you avoid attacks from everyone and have a small window to escape with the wall between yourself and your enemies. You dash forward, grabbing Pyrrha with your chains and pull her into the forest with you. As soon as you break the line of sight, you grab your scroll.

"I need a pick up right now."

"Your voice, what the hell?"

"Hurry! Pyrrha's injured!"

"Right, right, I'm coming back! Meet me… here!"

You check your scroll's map and note the meeting point. "Got it."

You throw your scroll back in your pocket and keep jumping from branch to branch. Pyrrha starts coughing up blood while you move, so in response, you land on the ground and undo your transformation. The second you return to normal, your entire arm starts burning. You wince and look over, witnessing the curse claw its way up your arm, nearly reaching your shoulder.

"Tsk… sorry, Ozpin. But…" You look down at Pyrrha – her skin pale, her breathing light. You check her pulse, listen to her heart… "Damnit…"

 _She's lost too much blood. Even if I bandaged her wound… what can I do? I can't give her Aura, I don't have a healing Semblance… DAMNIT!_

You slam your fists on the grass, flattening the once proud blades. "What can I do?" You whimper, body starting to shake. "What…" You slowly look up at your gray and green arm. "Can I… can I..?"

 **And that's all for this chapter! It was fun doing a little battle with everyone's forms. I didn't explore them all as much this time, but I might just be saving that for another time. Bearer only has one or two… probably two more chapters. Then it's all done and my short story is set in stone! Yeah, I'll actually focus on my other stuff again! Well, I plan to do a Limitless chapter before finishing this up so you might have to wait a little bit. I do hope you're enjoying this. It's different and shorter than what I usually do, but it's also fun to try something abnormal, you know? Well, for me, anyway. I just hope you're actually liking the story and concepts.**

 **Also, if you wanna bully me, head over to my Twitter! Lately, I've been getting memes about the connection I made between Crimson Shadow and Naruto, which has just been SO much fun. I can think of two people in particular that have been just the biggest meanies. So if you wanna check out the bul- memes and/or contribute to my bucket of tears, go check it out!**

 **And that's all for me! I hope you all enjoyed, and I will see you next time!**

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 **Disclaimer: I don't play Pokémon GO**


	7. Chapter 6: Spreading Like Wild Fire

**Chapter 6: Spreading Like Wild Fire**

You stay at Pyrrha's side as the girl rests in one of the medical wing's rooms. Her hair isn't in a ponytail, so it seems like a red waterfall trailing down the bed. Though, that's far from the most interesting feature she now has. You place your left arm on her stomach, taking in a deep breath then exhaling all the collected air.

"I'm sorry…"

On cue, Ozpin opens the door and walks in. You already briefly informed him of what transpired, thus he's here to get the full story. He stands at the edge of Pyrrha's bed, situating himself left of you.

"Show me."

You close your eyes and exhale once more. Slowly, you shift the blankets to still cover the girl, but expose her stomach – though it's still covered by the gown. You shift that out of the way and make light of the twisted power now dwelling in Pyrrha's stomach. Like your arm, it has green swirls with a red stone texture instead of gray.

"You… infected her."

"I had no choice," you sharply reply, instantly telling Ozpin that you're on the edge. "She would have died – I couldn't… I couldn't let that happen again… not while I was there," you shake your fallen head, hiding your eyes from Ozpin. "And I…"

Before you can finish, Pyrrha starts to stir. You quickly cover her up and take a step back, turning your back to her. Ozpin glares at you for a moment before giving Pyrrha a warm smile.

"Ms. Nikos… can you hear me?" He says in a calm tone.

"Professor…" Pyrrha whispers, still coming back to reality. "Am… where am I?"

"You're back at Beacon. Everything is fine."

Pyrrha's eyes soon open fully, allowing her to take in the environment. She sees the room, gathering that she's in the medical wing, she sees Ozpin, and she sees you.

"(Y/N)? You… got us out?"

"Y-Yeah," you hesitantly reply. "You can say that."

"But… I was hurt," she looks down at her stomach. "How did-"

"We… have some things to talk about, Ms. Nikos," Ozpin cuts in. Unfortunately," he squints at you for a moment. "We have things to discuss."

"Is it about those people?"

"Partly… and also about you, (Y/N)… and even me."

"Professor, I'm not quite sure I know what you're talking about," Pyrrha says with an attempt to keep the air light.

"Those people… my former teammates…" You start to speak. "They found something in a cave that overwhelmed them and even," you turn around to face the girl. "Even got me."

"What do you mean?"

You sigh, unsure how to explain it. So, you decide to show her. You slowly undo your bandages, revealing the gray and green texture as soon as your shoulder is revealed. Even Ozpin is taken back by this.

"(Y/N), you've-"

"I know," you cut it. "I know… I had no choice."

You undo the rest of it, showing off your corrupted arm. Pyrrha places a hand over her mouth in shock. She has no idea how to reply to that.

"The… essence that took over my friends, caused them to do all this, also tried to take me. Now… I'm like them, in a way… and…" You grind your teeth and look away, unable to tell her with eye contact. "I… had to…" You clench your fists as hard as you can. "You were going to die, so… I… gave you it too…" Pyrrha doesn't reply, leading you to elaborate further. "Just… look at your stomach, where you were hurt."

Pyrrha hesitantly looks down her gown. You and Ozpin both recognize she sees it when her eyes widen. "What the… you…"

"You were going to die, I had no choice… I couldn't see someone else die… not again," you shake your head violently. "I'm so sorry, Pyrrha… I…" Your throat tightens up, unable to utter another word. "I had no other option…"

Pyrrha can hear the regret layered a dozen fold in your voice. Considering all you've gone through, all the people you've seen die, it's easy to see why you'd go through such extreme lengths to keep your new teammates safe.

"So… what does this mean?" Pyrrha asks, trying to keep her composure.

"Worry not, Ms. Nikos. You won't become like the others. You hold a bit of Salem's power, my power… and even a sliver of (Y/N)'s power."

"Salem?"

"Ah, yes, this may take some time to explain. I do hope you're comfortable."

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"You went off alone, put both your life and Pyrrha's life in danger, and further spread Salem's power."

"I know."

"Did you attain any information."

"No."

Ozpin rests his head against his office chair and sighs. "I told you to wait for my command… and you couldn't even do that."

"I know…"

"Why didn't you come to me when you felt the call?"

"I just…" You cross your arms and look away. "I don't know, okay. I just went… and she wouldn't let me go alone."

Ozpin rests his head in his hands and rubs his temples. "You at least eliminated one, so that's a step in the right direction. Still… you acted extremely irresponsibly. That cannot be forgiven so easily."

"I understand," you bow your head. "Whatever punishment you see fit I will accept. I have no excuse."

Ozpin sets his hands on the table and examines you briefly. "I want you to teach Ms. Nikos to control her… new power. We don't need any incidents."

"That's… it?"

"Mhm," Ozpin nods. "To take care of your own problems, that's your punishment. We'll be doing more investigations until your teammates are captured. We can't rest while they're free."

"Okay, sure," you nod. "I'll do my best, sir."

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Pyrrha has her entire ensemble on, save for her chest plate. Though her breasts are covered, she can't help but stare at the change in her stomach. She can barely remember what happened. She tried to fight and then it all goes black. She slumps down on her bed and sighs, staring up at the ceiling while resting one hand on her forehead. Never would she imagine there to be some crazy story about Ozpin being hundreds of years old, a woman who wants to destroy Remnant, and the power her headmaster truly wields. Now some of that power is in her, suppressing all the dark power of Salem. Knowing all this, she can only imagine how you took it at first, especially because you lost your friends just before. The only thing she lost was a fight.

At that moment, someone knocks on her door. She quickly lifts out of bed and grabs her chest piece. "Who is it?"

"It's me," you reply.

Pyrrha slows down and stares at her armour. She sets it back on her bed and approaches the door. Pyrrha opens it, stepping behind to hide her body. "Come on," she says, eagerly waiting to close it as you walk in.

You take a few steps before turning around to a shirtless Pyrrha. "Oh, I-"

"It's okay, I wanted to ask you about… this some more," she points at her stomach.

"Right," you nod. "I suppose you caught me off guard," you cross your arms.

"I'm sorry," she bows her head. "I didn't mean to. I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"You're telling me," you chuckle. There's a moment of silence before you drift your eyes to her stomach, making sure to not allow your pupils to go any higher. "At least it's only about a bowl size."

"Yeah, I wanted to ask about that. Was your arm always covered?"

You approach her bed and look at her, silently asking permission to sit. She gives you a quick nod and you sit on the soft surface. "No… it used to just be my hand," you grab your wrist. "But the more I used this power, the more it takes hold of me. The same will happen to you. It'll spread. Considering your attire… I think it's best you avoid using it altogether."

"So I can transform?"

"You can, but you shouldn't. It does increase my… anyone's abilities immensely, but it's not worth it. I think I can only use it a few more times before something bad may happen," you end with a smirk. "Don't worry about it, though. Next time I use that power I'll put an end to all of this."

"That's a heavy burden," the girl says, approaching the bed and sitting next to you. Her armour is the only thing between you two now. "You've… had to deal with this for a long time. I'm sorry."

"It was my fault that all this happened," you scratch your cheek. "So… I guess it's all just karma or something. But you didn't deserve to be dragged into this."

"It was my fault," she says with a smile. "I wanted to come."

"Yeah, but…" You stare into her eyes for a moment, knowing you won't be able to counter that statement. "Yeah… I guess. You're an idiot."

Pyrrha frowns. "Hey!"

You snicker. "It's true… but, now you're my problem for a while. I half to teach you how to control it. Weird…" You look at your arm. "Guess I'll have to get used to the thumping."

"I felt it too," she places a hand on her stomach. "Is it because we're close?"

"I think so, yeah," you nod. "We'll get over it, probably. Well," you get off the bed and take a few steps towards the door. Pyrrha stands in response and follows your footsteps. "Get some rest, Pyrrha. You have class tomorrow… and we have plenty of extra training to do."

She remains silent as you grab the handle but fail to turn it. Instead, you turn around and lock eyes with her once more. You take a step forward and wrap your arms around her, catching the student off guard.

"I'm glad you're okay."

You let go of the girl and make your leave. After closing the door, you leave the student speechless. You've never shown such comradery towards anyone, at least not this openly. She knew you cared about her team, to an extent, but now you've shown it more. You saved her multiple times, you do everything you can to keep her and her teammates safe, and even used a forbidden power just to save her, despite your morals telling you otherwise. Even the way you speak to her now is far different than how you used to. It's… refreshing.

She places her hand on her chest and smiles. "Thank you… (Y/N)."

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You write down the last of your notes and set your pencil aside, giving your full attention to the professor.

"…and that's why we never allow captured Grimm into cities without a Huntsman guarding it. Remember, students, one Grimm is a spark. It will ignite the fire of fear that allure more Grimm to the city," he sets his notebook down. "Now, remember that the Vytal Festival is in a few months. That means we're having yet another tournament!"

"Hell yeah," one student shouts.

"I'm glad it's optional," another speaks up.

"I do enjoy watching students from other academies."

"If you're participating, remember that there are after-school training sessions. Assure you've taken the proper steps to sign up. (Y/N)," he looks to you. "There are ways you can participate if you so please."

"No thank you, Professor."

"Aw, come on, Gray," the student in front of you looks back. "You're a treat to watch fight."

"You are quite strong," the girl beside you adds. "It would be a shame for you to not try."

"I'd rather not," you reply with more assertiveness. "I have no reason to fight others."

 _The hell is going on? My arm… Is Pyrrha around?_

You're not allowing the others to notice, but your arm is pulsing like before. You knew it would be like this now that Pyrrha also has your curse, but it feels far too prominent to be Pyrrha who's likely in another building.

"Come on, (Y/N)!"

"No," you instantly shut down. "I'll silently cheer for my team."

"Awe, even Gray's heart has some colour," one student teases, getting some other students to laugh.

You cross your arms and lean back in your chair, ignoring the class from here on out. They continue to discuss the Vytal Festival and what teams may appear later on. However, your arm continues to pulsate, to your discomfort. You grab your scroll and message Pyrrha, asking her whether she's close to your classroom or not. In seconds, she replies.

 _Hm, even you'll be on your scroll during class… but I was right, she's in a different building._

She swiftly sends a subsequent message about the feeling in her chest. The way she describes it sounds exactly like your arm. You set your scroll down and ponder this.

 _Is it because of our link? It's not the same as when the others signaled me. I suppose this is somewhat new for both of us._

"Class dismissed! See you next week," the professor bows his head.

You grab your stuff and sling it over your shoulder before heading to the door. One of your fellow students grabs your shoulder as soon as you reach the door. "Hey, (Y/N), why not have our first years train together? It'd be good practice for them and us!"

You blankly stare at the green-eyed boy, clearly not as enthusiastic as he. "I'll think about it."

"That's better than your usual no!"

"Whatever makes you happy," you roll your eyes and walk away.

The boy watches you with a big smile on his face, only being interrupted by his friends approaching him to talk.

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You riposte Jaune's blade and kick him a few feet back, though he slides even farther. He sits up and sighs. "Man, you're still way too fast."

"Perhaps, but you've improved a lot," you sheath your blade and approach him. "I actually have to fight now… a bit," you end with a coy smile, offering your hand.

He takes it and you pull him to his feet. You hear Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha still skirmishing in the background, fairly even with one another. You check your scroll and shrug. "I'd say it's about time to end things. JNPR, your training is done today!" You shout.

You and Jaune regroup with the three after they stop, all members of JNPR huffing and puffing from the intense training. "Have you been told about the Vytal Festival Tournament?"

"Of course!" Nora says, somehow channeling excitement past her exhaustion. "We're going to enter and kick some butt!"

You snicker. "Good. That's what I was hoping to hear. That means we'll be working on your team skills from now on. You'll all be fighting me for the rest of our training… and we won't stop until you win. Now get going," you wave them off. "Rest, study, whatever."

The four nod and start to depart, save for Pyrrha. She's standing still, a little meek, looking up at you. "So… we-"

"Yeah," you nod. "We'll continue. We just need…" You place your hands on your hip. "Somewhere a little quieter… oh, I know."

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For the first time, Pyrrha is going down in the elevator. Of course, she's been to Ozpin's office and taken it down that way, but she always stopped at the ground floor. Never has she gone below Beacon.

"I used to practice here when I first… well," you cross your arms. "When I needed solitary training. Ozpin won't mind us using it for you. Nothing is on this floor so we won't have to worry."

"I see… what exactly are you going to teach me?"

"Control. As we've felt…" You tighten your grip on the bandaged arm. "Our bodies will react around one another. I'm hoping we can learn to suppress that entirely. Besides that, you need to learn how to not turn your power on."

"I can turn it on? How?"

"It's…" The elevator dings and the doors open for you. "Well, it's hard to explain," you state, walking out of the elevator with Pyrrha close behind. You enter a long, dimly lit hallway that seems to go on for a good while. You won't reach the end, as nothing's there, so close to the elevator will work just fine. "It's allowing the power to envelop you without letting it overwhelm you… does that make sense?"

"Somewhat… so what exactly are we going to do?"

You stop and turn around, looking into the younger girl's green eyes. You can't look away, despite what you're planning to say. "I… shouldn't… but you're going to use the power I gave you just this once. I want to make sure you feel it, understand it, and learn how to control it."

Pyrrha shifts in place for a moment before anchoring her feet and sharpening her eyes. "Okay, I'm ready. I won't put anyone else in danger, and I'll help everyone I can with this power."

"Tsk," you roll your shoulders. "Very well. We'll start by activating it. That shouldn't be a problem… in fact, you've never seen me use it."

"True… wait, you're not going to…" She takes a step forward and places her hand on your bandaged arm. "You said you only had a few left. I don't want to-"

"Don't worry," you pat her hand. "I'll deal with the consequences. I should be looking towards the newer Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"You're only a few years older…" Pyrrha says with a sigh.

"Perhaps… but that doesn't matter," you say before unraveling your bandages and revealing your completely cursed arm. "What matters now is ensuring you're as prepared as you can be. Maybe… if this goes well…" You give her a warm smile, a sort that makes her face flush. "I won't have to do it all alone."

"Y-You never had to," she quickly replies, looking away to hide her blush.

"Yeah… yeah, I did." You take a step back and activate your power, flaring into a completely new being with altered weapons. "Back to the subject…"

Pyrrha's embarrassment almost immediately diminishes as soon as she lays eyes on your transformed state. The hair, the skin, the chains, everything is such a change from what you were. Even your eyes… they're so cold now.

"That… I can do that?"

"Indeed. From what I've observed, it has different effects based on the individual. But, let's just focus on you using this power," you speak. "You may not have realized it yet, but you have a… new muscle, we'll say. At least that's how I see it. A new muscle in my arm that when I flex… well, you see," you cross your arms, ignoring the fact your chains are digging into your right arm. "Try to find that extra muscle in your stomach. I've seen your body, read your file, you should have ample experience and knowledge on your muscles."

"O-Okay," Pyrrha hesitantly nods before looking down at her stomach. "Look for my extra muscle… something strange…" She squints her face and starts moaning as she focuses.

You remain stationary, the only moving parts are your flaming hair. The cold stare of your darkened eyes somewhat intimidates Pyrrha as tension rises second by second. She's just making noises, trying to flex an unknown muscle to transform like you. Though, she is conflicted. Such a terrifying transformation… such evil power flowing through you both. She wishes things could be different, that neither of you had to suffer… that your friends didn't succumb to an ancient power, but dwelling on won't get her anywhere. She has to cooperate. She has to help you. She can't let you feel alone again.

"You're turning red," you point out, breaking the girl's focus.

She exhales and starts taking deep breaths. "This is harder than I thought. I don't feel an extra muscle."

"That's because you don't know it's there," you flicker back to normal then immediately feel a wave of pain flow your arm. You grab it and look over, watching the curse crawl past your shoulder and reaching for your chest and neck. "I really don't have many left," you end with a slight chuckle.

"Are you okay?" She approaches you.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," you wave off, manipulating your bandages to cover it up. "We're focusing on you right now."

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You stand in the elevator with Pyrrha on your back, her cheek resting against yours, her chest lightly expanding and contracting with each peaceful breath.

 _I'm not surprised. She was already exhausted after team training, and I know from experience that this takes a toll on you._

The elevator door opens… for Ozpin to enter. You and he lock eyes, staying silent as he gathers what this situation is. "I see. You're training young Nikos?"

"Mm… yeah."

"You may have to put that on hold at times. A team of Huntsmen just returned from the forest you reported. There's nothing there."

"They moved?" You raised your brow.

"Most likely," Ozpin nods. "We have to find them. If you can sense them, I want you to be with the party of Huntsmen."

"I…" You think on your team for a moment. "I need to be with my team. Especially Pyrrha, she needs help."

Ozpin chuckles. "I see. Very well, but we still need your help. Nobody can detect them as you can."

"That's not true anymore. Pyrrha can."

"Is that so?" Ozpin shifts his gaze to the sleeping girl. "I see. Let's hope your decision doesn't have greater side effects for the girl."

"Couldn't be worse than death."

"It could be," Ozpin counters. "Would you rather your friends be dead, or puppets?"

"Tsk," you walk past him. "I'll rectify that one."

"We also found Qrow," he says, not turning around. "He was killed."

You look down and take a deep breath. "I… won't let anyone else die. I promise."

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You stand in front of the graves once more. The broken moon shines brightly in the black sky, dotted by faraway stars.

"What am I even doing here?" You shake your head. "It almost feels redundant… knowing most of you are still out there. But I guess I've gotten used to venting here." You look up to the sky for nearly a minute, silence taking hold of you. "I'm… I actually like my new team. JNPR… they're good kids. But they're also a representation of my failure… if I had just gone to the meeting then maybe CVFY," you turn your head to the right, eyes closed. "Even Qrow… too many people are dead because of me… because of my actions. How can I even consider myself a Huntsman when all I do is kill… maybe that's how Qrow felt with his Semblance," you snicker. "Old bastard is still looming over me."

You take a deep breath and look over the graves to all the others, seeing all the names that will be forgotten and who've all fallen in battle one way or another. "I guess I'll be here one day… maybe sooner rather than later. But," you lift your left hand in front of you and slowly clench it. "I won't leave any loose ends. This curse will be lifted… for all of us."

 **Hey, hey, we're almost done! But don't worry, the next chapter is nearly done! I was going to wait until it was done and release them at the same time… but, meh, I'll release this now. I'm really excited to wrap all this up! I'm hoping you're all enjoying this too. I don't write short stories too often but they can be a ton of fun, and a nice little thing to read for you all. At least, I hope it's fun. Anyway, I'll chat with you all soon! The next chapter should be up within the week! Depends on how fast I work.**

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 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning and Nicholas X Wright!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader: Grammarly, the only editor that slacks off because I don't pay them**


	8. Chapter 7: Repay your Debt

**Chapter 7: Repay your Debt**

You lean against a column in Ozpin's office, delivering another disappointing report. It's been months since you last encountered your old teammates. The Vytal Festival is upon you, starting tomorrow, and yet these high-risk individuals are still out there. This is obviously stressful for the headmaster, but you're also adopting some of that nervousness. Why are they hiding? They haven't even made a move… yet your arm and Pyrrha's stomach has been beating just as loudly. Despite your dozens of expeditions… nothing.

"You think they'll attack during the Vytal Festival?" You speak.

"Perhaps… but even they would not defeat all the Huntsmen, whether in training or not. There has to be something…"

"Is it too much to ask that they all keeled over and died?"

Ozpin shifts his eyes to you, unamused at your wish.

"Fine," you roll your shoulders. "So what do we do?"

Ozpin leans back in his chair and rests the tips of his fingers together. "Nothing… clearly, we have to be on the defensive. I'll have every Huntsman defending Beacon, notifying the other Headmasters about the possibility of an attack. We'll be ready. You… can relax," he ends with a smile. "You've worked very hard, (Y/N) Gray, and you deserve a break."

"But-"

"We can do nothing but wait," Ozpin quickly interjects. "There's nothing left. Relax. Take some time with your friends."

You grind your teeth as you push off the wall and head for the elevator. "Fine. I'll let you know if I figure anything out."

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You slow down as you approach your usual training spot. JNPR is already there, getting their last-minute practice in before the tournament. They've been training hard for the past few months and have improved tremendously. They can almost defeat you when working together, which is a long way from where they started.

"You should be getting rest. You're one of the first matches," you say while stopping a few feet away from their battle.

The four put a halt to their training and all greet you with smiles. "Hello, there!" Pyrrha waves.

"We wanted to make sure we're ready! After hearing you weren't participating, we wanted to give it our all!" Jaune says with pure confidence, a far cry from what he was when he first became a leader.

"Good," you nod. "I'll be watching, so make sure to win it all. Anyway," you cough before continuing. "There's no training today. I want you to all relax."

"Then we'll smack them all like flies!" Nora says before jumping in the air and cheering.

"It would be easy to hit a fly with your hammer," Ren justifies.

"Exactly! A clean smash!" Nora cheers again.

Pyrrha giggles at her teammates then shifts her eyes to you. She tilts her head and smiles, speaking with her actions and not her words. You smirk back, unsure exactly what she's trying to say.

"Well… how about I treat you all to some food?" You say with a pleasant tone. "I think you all deserve a good meal tonight."

"You don't have to," Pyrrha shakes her hands.

"But he can!" Nora cuts in.

"I want to. You've all worked hard and I want to make sure you know I have your back… besides, I did promise I'd take you all out if Nora didn't kill the other students."

"He's right, you know," she eagerly nods.

"If none of you want to come, I'll just take Nora."

"No, we'll come," Pyrrha violently nods her head. "It's the only way to… make sure she doesn't overeat!"

"Nora hungry!" She screams to the heavens.

You chuckle. "Alright, then. Wherever you want to go."

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"Huh…" You cross your arms and tilt your head as you watch the four sit at a noodle stand. "I thought you would have drained me of all lien I had."

Nora pats the table, eagerly awaiting the bowl. "I just wanna SLURP IT DOWN!"

"We come here every so often," Pyrrha explains, patting the seat beside her. "Come on, it's good."

You shrug and take a seat beside the girl. "I'll have, uh… whatever she's having," you point to Pyrrha. "What are you having, exactly?"

"Just the regular," she smiles; immediately a large bowl of noodles bounces before you all.

"This… is the regular?" You look over at the four, to which they all respond with a nod. "Alright, whatever."

"So," Nora slurps up some noodles. "You never told us why you didn't enter."

You poke at the noodles, blankly staring. "I don't know… didn't feel right without my own team, you know?" You look over at them, seeing their downcast expression. "It's not my time. It's yours. All of you," you look back to the other students moseying about. "I should be making sure you flourish… though I guess knocking you down a peg or two isn't a bad idea… but not now," you shake your head and ready to eat. "It's your turn to shine… so do your best, you hear?" You smile at them before slurping some down.

Pyrrha is stuck staring into your eyes. It's been so long… you've become so different from before. You're encouraging them, smiling, hoping them and others will prosper. She can't help but… admire that. Admire you. Nora elbows Pyrrha to snap her out of it.

"What's wrong Pyrrha? You look starry-eyed," she says with a smug smirk.

"N-Nothing!" She looks back at her food. "This food looks so good!" She says before chowing down more intensely than anyone else.

Nora chuckles, leaning back to her bowl. "Whatever you say, Pyrrha."

You look up at the closest T.V and spot footage they're playing to pump up everyone for the Vytal Festival. To do this, they're playing fights from past tournaments, and of course, the one time you look is the one time they show one of your fights. You remember this one, back when you were just first years. You had to fight a high ranking team from Atlas, and boy were they trouble. But you all fought together, using each other's abilities to their fullest. You're… all smiling while you fight. You're enjoying it all.

You sigh, looking down into the bowl of noodles. "I wish things were different. I wish…" The screen flashes to show a different battle, one with another fellow team that's still around today. You tap the bowl and solemnly chuckle. "And I was doing so well."

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You rest against one of the nearby columns close to the docks. There are still a few stragglers arriving from other Kingdoms and you've been asked to ensure their pleasant arrival. Every so often you give someone directions on where they have to go, but most of the time a fellow team accomplishes your job in a more friendly way than you. Seeing a friendly face in a new Kingdom would be a better introduction than a random student.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha waves as she approaches from behind.

You look to your right and spot the girl closing in, finally stopping beside you. "What're you doing here? I thought you were doing team exercises."

"Oh, we were," she nods her head while leaning on the column beside you. "But Ren wanted us to drink some odd juice while Nora wanted to lift a few thousand pounds… I thought you would be a better partner."

"A few… whatever," you shake your head. "I'm not doing anything interesting, though. You'd likely find more entertainment elsewhere."

"No, that's okay," she smiles. "I'm happy here."

You look back at the docks, spotting another ship landing. "So many people are late."

"Why do you think?"

You watch as four people exit the Bullhead. Two boys, two girls. The first one to exit, a boy with yellow hair, leaps out energetically but ends up tripping and falling flat on his face.

"Well, I'd say it was his fault. Maybe he slept in," you whisper.

"You think?"

"Yeah… stayed up late watching a movie?"

"Or out eating at his favourite restaurant."

"That's a good one," you snicker. "Overeating then unable to get out of bed."

"You say that like you know."

"Hey, I had fun back in the day," you nudge her.

"So what about the others?"

You watch as three more funnel out of the Bullhead, all having pitch black hair which only makes the yellow-haired boy stand out even more.

"What're you doing, Ley?" You say in a deep voice.

"I was trying to look cool!" Pyrrha responds in a boyish voice.

"But now you look like an idiot," you reply in a different voice.

"I think I look special!"

"No, an idiot."

"I won't look like such an idiot when I win the entire thing!"

"We're not selecting you to be the final person."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?"

You both break out into laughter at the sudden scream from the group, going along with your scenario so perfectly. You lean on your knees while Pyrrha has to use your shoulder as a crutch.

"We… we shouldn't be laughing at them," Pyrrha says through her laughter. "I-I-"

"Just… Just laugh," you lean back on the column and pat her shoulder. "It's too good."

The group approaches you both with intrigued looks on their faces. "

Excuse me," the black haired man speaks. "Where's the Vacuo dorm?"

You wipe away a tear and try to collect yourself. "J-Just follow the path and take a left after the cafeteria. You'll probably see some people from there."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks so much!" The blond explodes.

"Shut it," one of the girls grabs his ear and drags him away.

You hold in a laugh as the team follows your instructions and leaves. You exhale, releasing a short chuckle. "Interesting people."

"Definitely," Pyrrha nods.

She looks over at her hand that's still resting on your shoulder. She hesitates to remove it but does in the end.

"You can go, honestly. I'll be here till sundown," you swing your head right to meet eyes.

Pyrrha looks down, thinking. "N-No," she shakes her head. "I'll stay. I enjoy your company."

"Heh," you adjust on the column and look out at the docks. "I enjoy yours too, Pyrrha. Almost like…" Your mind trails off to someone else who was close to you – Cinder. Once upon a time, you two were special to one another.

"Like what?" Pyrrha tilts her head a bit.

"Like… hmph," you shake your head and chuckle. "Like I girl I was once with."

Within seconds, Pyrrha is bombarded with both embarrassment and joy.

"Oh, well, that's a weird thought. I… I didn't… I mean, you're so great to be around but I've never had someone like that so I don't have anyone to compare you to but-"

You stare off into the distance again as Pyrrha rambles on. You knew that would get her going… but that wasn't why you asked it. You weren't lying. Pyrrha… she's special.

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Time goes on, students pass you by, and the sun eventually starts to set. Despite all your talking and joking, Pyrrha has finally fallen asleep. Her head is resting on your shoulder, releasing short breathes every second or two. No ships are coming, barely anyone is walking around here anymore, yet you can't bring yourself to move. You look up at the sky as you bask in the warmth of your situation.

"I once thought I didn't deserve this," you whisper to yourself. "Thanks… JNPR," you hesitantly shift your bandaged arm across your body and rest it on Pyrrha's head. "Thanks… Pyrrha."

You sit there for a few minutes before finally deciding to move. Without disrupting the girl, you carefully shift yourself around to hold the girl in your arms. She wiggles a little bit, but she doesn't wake up. So, you carry the young warrior through Beacon's grounds. Over time, you've both learned to suppress the beating in your arm and her stomach when you're close, yet for some reason, your arm still pounds loudly as if something is trying to get out.

"The feeling… are they around?" You mumble, stopping in place and quickly surveying your surroundings. You don't see or hear anything noteworthy, but you know your arm doesn't lie. "Well… I have a warning now." You look forward once more and start walking. You need to get some sleep too. It's a big day tomorrow.

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You sit in one of the transport ships, watching the screen while the Vytal Festival starts. As the camera pans around the stadium, showing off all the excited spectators, before returning to the ring. Professor Port and Oobleck introduce everyone to the rules and regulations. You want to get there soon, as JNPR is the first team to fight in the tournament against a team from Haven.

The two teams meet in the center, being circled by the camera as the professors talk about the two competitors. You notice, however, that Pyrrha places a hand on her stomach – right where her curse resides. You can feel your arm pounding, even from the transport ship.

 _She can feel something too. Let's just hope the precautions Ozpin took will pay off._

You take a deep breath and look out the window while listening to the show. You hear the booming professor countdown and the battle commences. You'll be there in under a minute, so, depending on the matchup, you'll hopefully get to watch your friends battle. Watching them fight without you directly there will help you coach them in the future. Any weaknesses they should work on, any strengths they should know about. These things can improve one's fighting ability immensely.

Thankfully, the transport lands and opens its ramp for everyone. You, amongst a few other students and civilians, leave the transport and head for the multiple corridors that lead to the stands. Somehow, the route you take is one you tread alone. The others spread out to other corridors, leaving you to march through the walkway alone. You can hear the combat from here, echoing through the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and into your ears. It's like you're there, in the stadium, part of the fight.

You stop in place, almost reaching the end of the hallway. You turn around and spot a cloaked figure standing a few feet away. The figure lowers their hood to reveal Neo – her eyes intently staring at you. Without hesitation, you grab your blade and hold it before you.

"Neo… I had a feeling the festival wouldn't be left alone."

Neo shakes her head before calmly approaching you. You don't see any signs of hostility, but that doesn't make you hesitate. You're ready to kill if need be. Still, Neo draws no weapons. She stops in front of you and slowly reaches for your bandaged hand.

"What are you…" She gives you the answer with her eyes. "You're… you?" Neo nods. She grabs your hand and squeezes it; combined with her eyes, you can tell what she's trying to do. You use your Semblance to unravel your bandages, giving Neo direct contact with your cursed hand. A sudden surge of information flows through your mind. Neo, pushing you away from the falling rocks, her barely getting hit by the least of Salem's power, her allies spreading, killing… and now here. You pull your hand back and begin panting in response to the sensory overload. You fall to one knee and place a hand on your head.

"They're… they…"

" _Kill me…"_ Your voice echoes in your own head, but you know it's an outer force. _"Please, (Y/N)… Kill me. I can't… resist for much longer."_

The voice echoes in your head while you stare at Neo. The young girl kneels down, her guard non-existent and her eyes closed.

"Neo… I…" You look away, clenching your fist. "I'm sorry I failed you all… I hope," you approach the girl with your blade still in hand. "I hope you find peace… wherever you go," you kneel down and press the blade against her chest. You can both feel the blade shaking… you're hesitating. You said you wouldn't… yet here you are. Neo opens her eyes and smiles.

" _Please… you're my friend. Do this for me."_

"I…" You grab the hilt with both hands to try and push, but you completely fail. "I… tsk," you push forward, piercing Neo's heart and ensuring her death.

" _Thank… you…"_

"Neo!" The girl slips back off your blade and crumbles, her eyes losing what little light they had. You drop your blade and tighten every muscle in your body. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" You release a scream that shakes the corridor. You stare up at the ceiling, panting. "I have to save them… Neo… thank you for everything."

You place your left hand on her and wrap her up in bandages, saving her for a burial later. With that done, your determination reaches a new high. You have to stop them here and now.

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Ren ducks under a kick then flip back, firing his guns at his opponent. He lands beside Jaune, who's been knocked back a bit but is still on his feet. He charges forward, keeping his shield up to block the girl's barrage of bullets. He runs past Nora and Pyrrha, who are battling the other team's leader. She's knocking back both of JNPR's attacks with each sword, finally jumping back and firing a few arrows at the two. While in midair, a foot slams into her ribs and sends her flying into the rocky mountain.

You land beside your two friends, quickly looking over at the other two.

"(Y/N)?" Pyrrha speaks with disbelief.

"My word! Stop the match!" Port shouts. "What are you doing?"

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Ozpin raises his brow at your sudden interference. He's still at his tower… but he has a feeling something is about to happen. He waits before acting, wishing to see how this plays out.

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"I'm impressed. Her power has improved your illusions, Emerald," you look toward the girl, standing next to Mercury.

"You can see us?" Mercury asks.

"Oh well, we wanted to have a little more fun," Emerald shrugs.

"Indeed," Cinder floats above you all, though her focus is on you. "Quite impressive, (Y/N). I do hope you have more surprises. I do."

"Whoa!" Jaune exclaims. "They just changed! How did they do that?"

"Get behind me," you sharply whisper, gesturing the team into position. "I don't know what you plan to do here," you shout. "You're surrounded by Huntsmen, in-training and not. You can't hope to beat us all."

"I… could ask you the same thing."

You raise your brow in response.

"(Y/N)!" Pyrrha shouts, but it's too late. Nora's hammer connects with your side, sending you barreling through the air and into one of the broken buildings.

You push some debris off you and shake your head. "Nora attacked… No…" You get to your feet and start running. "No, no, no, no, no!" You exit the building and look around. Everyone in the crowd has changed – transformed into the cursed state you can summon. "It wasn't because of Pyrrha… they've been spreading this whole time… everyone…" You clench your teeth.

"Nora! Jaune! Ren, stop!" Pyrrha shouts, trying to free herself from their grasp.

"Pyrrha!" You scream.

"Don't worry, (Y/N). No harm will come to anyone… except you," she ends with a smirk. "All this power, all this Aura. It's more than enough to summon her back to this world! I will be her vessel!" Cinder screams. "Come to me!"

Cinder extends her arms and attracts all Salem's power from everyone who was infected. A dark power spews out from everyone, causing them to crumble almost instantly. All this power surrounds the stadium, clouding your vision and preventing you from stopping any of this. The power swirls around the stadium, all converging on Cinder as if she was the drain in a sink. It all comes to her, whitening her hair, making her paler, yet her eyes have yet to change. After almost a minute, the stadium is clear. You look up at Cinder and almost falter altogether.

Cinder starts laughing uncontrollably at the power surging through her body. "So much of it! It's unbelievable!"

"Tsk," you utilize your Semblance to unwrap your arm and shift into your cursed state. "Guess it's do or die!"

"How feeble yet beautiful you are," Cinder looks down on you. "You're the last piece, the last fragment of Salem's power. You even have Ozpin's, right?" She says with a confident smile. "All I need is yours… or…" Cinder's eyes shift to Pyrrha, who's frozen in shock at her nearly dead teammates.

"Cinder, no!"

"You've doomed her and yourself!" She shouts, speeding towards the girl.

You push off your heel and speed towards Pyrrha, but your speed is nothing compared to Cinder's. She swoops by Pyrrha, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her into the air. The girl struggles, but her strength is nothing in comparison to Cinder.

"You have that fragment too. That's all I'll need. Thank you for giving her our power," she looks down at you. "It would have been tedious to extract it from you."

Without a thought, she places her hand on Pyrrha's stomach and extracts her power… or not. Cinder's appearance starts to revert back to her normal self.

"What? What's-"

"You were a useful tool, Cinder," Pyrrha speaks. "But this host is more useful."

"No… no!" She tries to pull her hand back to no avail.

Like Cinder, Pyrrha's features start to shift. White hair, pale skin, and now red eyes. All of Cinder's power transfers to Pyrrha, leaving the girl as a husk of her former self. Cinder's body is pulled down by gravity, eventually slamming against the ground. Pyrrha undoes her hair and basks in this newfound power.

"Pyrrha! Fight it! We trained for-"

"Pyrrha?" Her voice is different. Her demeanor is different. "She's merely a host now. My name is Salem… and you have my power."

"No… NO!" You burst off your foot and ready an attack.

Effortlessly, Salem catches your blade arm and slam her other hand on your stomach, releasing a burst of power that sends you flying a such a speed that you break through the stadium and start falling to the ground below.

"How pathetic," Salem shakes her head. "To think you were given my power. But… I'll thank you, (Y/N) Gray. Now I have my power and dear Ozpin's."

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Ozpin watches the everything transpire before him. He exhales through his nose as his head falls. Without a word, he backs away from his desk and grabs his cane. He takes slow steps toward the elevator.

"Hold on, Mr. Gray."

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You pull yourself through the hole and land on the stadium, one eye closed and panting.

 _That attack… I don't know if I can take any more of that. What do I do? That's still Pyrrha's body. I can't kill her… I won't! I have to get all that power back to everyone!_

"You wish to fight?" Salem closes her eyes and snickers. "Very well," she lowers herself to the ground. "I'll humour you. Ozpin is on his way, after all. Might as well entertain myself for a moment. Oh," she tilts her head. "Are you coming up with a strategy. How cute."

"Shut up!"

You steel your nerves and charge forward. Before even reaching her, you throw out your chains to grab some rubble from one of the broken buildings and throw it at her. Effortlessly, she knocks it away with one hand and catches your blade with the other. You notice there's a sort of energy when she catches your blade with her bare hands. It's a layer of power that prevents actual damage, or at least that's what your guess is.

 _That means I'll have to either wear her out or surprise attack her._

Salem throws you over her and slams you on the ground, quickly pressing her palm against your stomach and releasing a massive wave of power, just like before. It's so intense that the entire coliseum shakes, nearly falling out of the sky with that single attack.

 _Definitely… surprise attack…_

You grab her arm and expand your chains, wrapping it around her arm and spreading it across her body. With this, you throw her away from you and to the stands. She sends a short burst out of her body, freeing her from your chains and allowing her to gracefully land on a chair.

"How… pointless."

You get on your feet, huffing and puffing. "Nothing I do is pointless," you shake your head. "In the end, you're going to die."

Salem laughs aloud. "How amusing." In a flash, she appears in front of you. "How delusional."

Her speed is on a whole other level compared to yours. You can't even react as she punches you, releasing a small shockwave at the same time to add an extra layer to the already punishing punch. You bounce across the ground a few times but still manage to throw your chains at her. They land in front of her, digging into the ground and giving you a way to pull yourself back to her.

"Do you enjoy getting hit?" She asks with a hint of amusement.

You refrain from answering, instead, you watch as your chains slither out from the ground behind Salem and burst around her neck, pulling the woman down. You flick your wrist to move up and over Salem. You enlarge your blade and pull yourself down, ready to stab the helpless woman.

"(Y/N)! Help me!" Pyrrha screams.

That one line sends a jolt through your body, almost paralyzing you. Salem smiles upon seeing this, using this moment of weakness to release a massive wave of magic that blows you away. She throws the chain off her and stands up.

"I thought you weren't going to hesitate?"

You crash through one of the buildings and topple out of one of the windows, your transformed state dissipating yet growing. It's crawling up your neck and across your chest, coming ever closer to taking you over completely. You shiver on the ground, barely able to stand.

"Don't you forget that I'm using Pyrrha's body? A far healthier one than dear Cinder's. They've been dead for so long… it's not a practical decision. I must thank you for infecting this girl. It's so pleasant that even you prepared for my arrival."

"Sh… sh…" You push your chest off the ground, struggling to even hold that position. "Shut up…" You drag your knee across the ground and use it as leverage to proceed to the next step of standing. "You… took my friends… I won't… let you do it again," you say as you get to your feet.

Salem chuckles at this. You don't have your weapon, your sliver of her power is nothing compared to her; as far as she can tell… you've lost. You have nothing left to give. Even if you have any Aura left, it won't take any more than two blows to finish you.

"Such short-sightedness. I've been waiting for this day for centuries. I'll take the Aura from anyone I find, kill Ozpin, kill you… and finally, rule as a true god."

"A god?" You chuckle before slowly dragging yourself forward. "Now who's delusional? I know… exactly how to beat you…"

Salem laughs. "Is that so?"

You shift your walk into a run. "Yeah!"

You transform into your cursed state and sprint at her. In one swift motion, you trade blows – you manage to connect your fist to her cheek while she releases yet another devastating blast. She merely slides back while you bounce across the ground and slam into a cement block. With adrenaline rushing through your veins, you get to your feet once more and sprint forward. You push off your right foot, dashing in zig zaps towards the woman.

"Is this an attempt to confuse me?" She says with amusement.

You wound up and throw your chains towards the woman, speeding through the air faster than a gunshot. Before she has the chance to knock it away, the chain splits into three, one going up and the others slither around either side. She smirks at how interesting this maneuver is. Finally, you're showing what ability her power has given you. Changing it to sharp chains was just a side effect. Your manipulation of the chains is what she's given you… though it's far from enough.

However, three is not your limit. The current three split into another trio, and another, and another until there's almost a wave of chains surrounding Salem. You clench your fist to wrap them all around her as tight as possible. She erects a small barrier around her that struggles to fend off the overwhelming pressure of these cursed chains.

"I'll admit, I'm somewhat impressed," she says before lifting her arm. "But," with a single snap, her barrier expands at a rate your chains can't possibly contain. With a small explosion, all your chains disintegrate and Salem is left standing. Before she can comment, you slam down beside her with your sword, barely missing her as she steps to the side. You grunt as you land, immediately slashing horizontally at… nothing. You turn around to attack but Salem's hand grasps your mouth and slams you on the ground before unleashing a large scale blast at point blank. When the dust settles you're once again in your normal state. The curse spreads even further, as usual. Salem throws you towards a cement block, which you break through and slam against a broken building.

"That was your plan?" Salem laughs. "Well, I won't drag this out." She begins walking towards you. "I'd like the rest of my power and the little bit of Ozpin's you have. Any objections?"

"I… kk… ah…" You can barely move at this point, both overwhelmed by pain and the curse.

"Well, it wouldn't matter anyway."

You look to the left and see your blade sitting at the edge of the cement you reach out with your pure arm, inching it toward you with your fingers until you can grasp it. Before you can do anything, Salem steps on your wrist.

"Now, now, no playing with knives," she kneels down and grasps your hand, ripping some of the bandages away. "Rest now, boy," she smiles before beginning to drain the power from your arm. It detracts from your neck and chest, slowly shrinking down your arm, to your elbow, past your forearm. Right as it hits your wrist, Salem stops sucking.

"Salem! Leave him be!" Ozpin demands from the stands, weapon in hand.

Salem releases your hand, leaving only a handful of your stolen power left in you. She stands up and smiles at her true adversary.

"I've been waiting for this day, Ozpin."

"I can't say the same," he bluntly replies.

"What's your plan? Sealing me away won't work, and you can't kill me like-"

Suddenly a hand slams against her stomach. Both she and Ozpin look at you, on one knee, panting and staring up at the woman.

"What are you…" Her dominant demeanor fades as she starts feeling strange. "What are you doing?" She screams.

Your hand starts glowing more than it ever has before. "I gave Pyrrha that power… and I know how to take it back!"

"No!" Salem tries to attack you but Ozpin's cane crashes against her hand.

Pyrrha's features slowly return, starting with her eyes, then skin, then hair. All of Salem's power is transferred into your hand, slowly spreading up and threatening to take over your body. As Pyrrha falls over, you hold your blade tightly.

"(Y/N)! She's going to take-"

"GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

You raise your right arm, blade in hand, and bring it down on your shoulder. In one clean cut, your entire left arm is sliced off. It falls on the ground beside Pyrrha, shaking from the amount of power swirling inside it. With adrenaline rushing through you, you fall on your knees and start stabbing and slicing the arm with all the strength you have left, screaming at the top of your lungs as you do so. All your hatred, frustration, fear, everything is being released on the woman trapped in your dismembered arm. Within ten seconds, you've cut your arm into tiny pieces.

You drop your blade and start panting. The adrenaline is wearing off and the pain is setting in. You fall onto your back and scream once more, this time in pain. Thankfully, your body shuts down and you fall unconscious. Ozpin leaps down and lands beside you, grabbing his cane before checking on your state. He places his hand on your shoulder and freezes the wound, halting any bleeding.

"You… have been planning this, haven't you?" Ozpin chuckles. "Knowing you could absorb the power from Pyrrha…" He takes a deep breath before smiling. "Thank you, (Y/N) Gray."

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 **The Next Day…**

"So… it's over?" You say, staring up at the ceiling from your hospital bed.

"Indeed," Ozpin nods. "Salem's essence is no more… you did it. Everyone is on their way to recovering."

"But now everyone knows… they saw the recording…"

"It will be difficult… but I trust we can handle things. They may have been scared, have seen Salem and her power, but they also witnessed your bravery and sacrifice. That's more powerful than anything Salem did."

"I guess," you exhale. "I should have thought about it more," you look to where your arm once was. "This… will be a hindrance."

"You'll work around it. I must ask… how did you know to do that?"

"Neo…" You look to the heel of your bed. "She resisted Salem's control long enough to tell me… everything. I knew what was going to happen, that Cinder would absorb everyone's power, that everyone was infected with the curse," you lightly throw your hand in the air and chuckle. "And that they knew about Pyrrha. So I feigned ignorance so they wouldn't catch on… I thought that, if they used Pyrrha as a host like Neo said they would then I should be able to host Salem too. After the first hit, I knew I couldn't beat her in a straight-up brawl, so…" You shrug then look at the professor. "You know the rest."

Ozpin chuckles. "That was clever thinking… better than I… well… thank you, (Y/N) Gray. You've made my departure much smoother."

"Departure?" You repeat with a raised brow. "What're you talking about?'

Ozpin takes a deep breath. "I was here to keep Salem contained… but now she's gone and my time here is over."

"Whoa, wait," you throw your blankets off and walk towards your headmaster. "You can't just go! We need a headmaster and-"

"I'm not going yet… I believe I have some time. But… well," Ozpin turns on his heel and walks to the door. "We'll speak on that later. Get some rest, (Y/N). I know your friends will want to see you. But come by my office before long. I have a… gift for you. One I'd like to give before I go."

Ozpin leaves the room only for Pyrrha to skirt past him and runs right in front of you.

"Pyrrha… happy to see you up and okay."

"Me?" She chuckles. "You… you did… I can't even begin to describe what you did."

"Yeah," you huff. "I'm sorry. I knew that your teammates would turn on you but-"

"It's okay," she confidently grabs your right hand. "I… I was scared. It was like watching from the outside and unable to do anything. I thought… I didn't…" Pyrrha shakes her head. "But you stopped it all… you saved me, everyone… I can't thank you enough."

You look down at your hand, wrapped up by hers. "I just… didn't want to lose the people special to me again," you say with complete honesty. "If I did…" You shake your head. "Whatever, it's over. Now everyone who I lost can rest… and everyone who's still alive is safe. That's… all I really want," you look into her green eyes. "You… Pyrrha… would you, maybe…"

Pyrrha leans in and kisses your cheek. "Once you get out of here then I'll treat you to something."

"Treat me?" You say, completely passing by the kiss. "That's not what I planned!"

"I've seen your plans. They're a little messy," she playfully teases.

"Oh, funny," you roll your eyes. "But fine," you squeeze her hands. "I'll accept your offer."

"Well, I'd like to spend some more time together alone, but…" Pyrrha giggles and looks over her shoulder to the door. "I fear you have some people waiting outside."

"People?" You repeat. "What do you mean?"

Pyrrha steps back, retracting her hands and heading for the door. "Just… I'm sorry," she ends with a regretful smile before opening the door.

In moments, a swarm of students flood through the door, all shouting different questions or praise.

"Whoa, whoa, step back!" You say while backing up, though to no avail. You're overwhelmed by the curious students who've come for answers.

And in the end, you have to answer all of them. The one who once avoided all contact, now, albeit begrudgingly, accepts the situation you're forced in and, deep down, are slightly content.

 **You know, I almost didn't write this. It was talking with my friends about it that made me decide to do it. I'm more of the long-running series than the single-season writer, but it is refreshing to do something different every once in a while. Sure, I could have made this story longer, sure, there are things I could have done differently, but I'm really happy with how it turned out in the end. I hope you all enjoyed this short story. Maybe it distracted you during a school or work break, maybe you read it before falling asleep, maybe on a bus or car ride, who knows. As long as you were entertained then I'm happy!**

 **I won't be doing any discussion videos or anything. I'll leave it as it is. If you have any questions about it, you can ask me directly in my Discord! It's open to any who wish to join! I posted the link on my profiles, but if for some reason it doesn't work then message me directly or check my twitter! I'm happy to chat with all you readers! It grew pretty fast considering I only kind of announced it on Wattpad, and even still, announcing it here isn't the prime idea. Adding a Discord announcement to Crimson Shadow would be ideal, but if you're reading this then you either read all my stuff or this is the first you've experienced. Either way, I'd be happy to see you there!**

 **That's it for me. Again, I hope you all enjoyed! Check out my other stories if you haven't! Crimson Shadow will be returning after Volume 6 ends, so probably around January, and I'm still writing Limitless. A Love Live story is coming too, something that's also a bit out of my comfort zone. Plenty of content is on the way so stick around!**

 **Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan**

 **Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message!**

 **I also have a , if you want to check that out! Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan**

 **My Discord is now open! If you want to join, either check my bio for a link, find it on my Twitter, or message me directly!**

 **A special thank you to supporters: Manuel Garcia, James Tubbs, MazMan, MTX and Sassylemons**

 **Extra special thanks to Ride The Lightning and Nicholas X Wright!**

 **And finally, thank you to the Beta Reader: Grammarly and I, the mediocre duo.**


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

You lean back in your chair, listening to the gears turning overtop you. You're unsure how to finish this speech and Ozpin's office seemed like the best place to write it. It's been a year since Salem was defeated. You've graduated from Beacon Academy as a full-fledged Huntsman with your fellow classmates and friends. Though four still remain in Beacon, that's why you're still around. That and you kinda have to be here. If only you could remove this gray suit. It's not normal for you by any means, but it was a gift from Ozpin so you can't just take it off. Perhaps after a few good years you can remove it and dress a tad more causally.

As you think on this speech, the elevator door opens for a certain redhead. Pyrrha strolls in, a wide smile on her face. "Hello!"

"Finished settling in already?"

"Yes," she nods whilst still approaching. "It was almost like falling back into a routine. Everything is the same as my first year."

"That so?" You chuckle, stepping out of your chair to meet her beside the desk.

You take the initiative of giving her a quick yet satisfying kiss, holding her close with your one arm.

"That was more enthusiastic than I anticipated," you chuckle, maintaining the bodily contact.

"It's been a few weeks. I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be," kiss her forehead. "I'm flattered. You even came to see me before the stupid ceremony."

"You can't say it's stupid, (Y/N)," she nudges you.

"I know," you huff. "I guess this just isn't my sort of thing. But… I was entrusted with this and I don't plan on weaseling out. But… I don't know. Glynda would have been better suited or… I just don't think I'm cut out for this… I just became a Huntsman."

"Don't doubt yourself, (Y/N)," Pyrrha places both hands on your cheeks. "Ozpin chose you for a reason. Live up to it. Smile, be kind like you are now. Don't go back to the times you were avoiding everyone and giving them scary looks."

"I didn't have a scary look," you chuckle, walking back to the desk.

"You did," she nods. "Always brooding. Everyone talked about it."

"Yeah, well, people say a lot of things."

"Oh, I see. Well, I just wanted to drop by. Maybe after all this is done we can have some dinner?"

"Dinner and a nice relaxing time back at my place," you snicker.

"Sounds excellent," she ends with a wink. "Good luck, I know you'll do well."

Pyrrha leaves the room via the elevator, meaning you're once again solely accompanied by the gears above. You look over your arm or lack there off. At times, you do miss it. Even when it was hidden away to hide your curse. Now… now it's something more. It's a symbol, one could say.

"Thank you, Ozpin… for everything. You left me with… two interesting gifts."

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You sit at the side of the stage overlooking the entire first-year student body. Plenty of young, eager faces stare up at you and the other teachers, not that you're in their league. Even from here, you can hear the whispers from the crowd. They all know who you are and what happened a year ago. You've become somewhat famous because of that and your now interesting role at Beacon.

Glynda takes the stage, clearing her throat before speaking.

"Tonight you will gather in the ballroom to rest. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Remember that. Now, a few words from our…" She looks over to you, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "New Headmaster."

You exhale before marching to the microphone. "I'm not one for speeches so let's keep this concise. As Ms. Goodwitch said, I'm the Headmaster from here on out. Not so long ago I was a student like yourselves, and I feel like I know what you think. You're young – fresh out of whatever training regiment you took to come here. You may feel like you're invincible, like nobody can stop you. I suggest you put all that aside. Success at this school will come from your adaptability. You will learn, you will become stronger, but that's far from enough. Learn to work with your teammates, make mistakes so you can learn from them, and become the best Huntsmen and Huntresses you can possibly be. Everyone here wants to see you succeed, including yourselves. You will only accomplish this through teamwork. Trust your team, watch their back, and become the best you can be."

You take a step back and look over at Glynda, who gives you a solemn nod.

 _At least I gave a decent speech. I'm glad Glynda won't be so hostile all the time. She wasn't the happiest when I was chosen over her._

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 **The Next Day…**

You and Glynda stand at the edge of a cliff. You took this idea from Ozpin, who has sent students flying off a cliff for the past few years. Now that he's gone, now that he's at rest, it's your responsibility to live up to his legacy… however long that legacy may have gone on for. Still, you patiently wait for the students to finish their initiation.

"Professor Gray," Glynda speaks, moving to your side with her scroll out. "It seems some ruffians are intruding on our initiation."

You raise your brow and look down at the screen. Thanks to the cameras hidden throughout the grounds, you can see a small group of bandits skulking through the forest. They're following on of the pairs that's none the wiser.

"I see… I'll handle it."

"But-"

"What kind of Headmaster would I be if I let my students remain in danger?" You give her a coy smile. "I'll be back momentarily," you say as you walk straight off the cliff's end.

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"It's not my fault we're lost," a boy retorts, looking around the forest.

"Well, you said you knew where we were going and look at us now," a girl answers.

"Then where do you think we should go?"

"I don't know," she crosses her arms and looks around the forest.

"Students," your voice reaches their ears seconds before you land beside them.

They both scream and fall on their butts.

"Headmaster?" The girl points out. "What're you doing here?"

"Did we fail?" The boy moans as he gets on his feet.

"Not at all, don't worry," you smile at the two. "I just need to ensure my student's protection… from bandits like you!" You end with a shout.

A group of five men, all scarred, rugged, and fairly muscular, reveal themselves from the bushes.

"That's the Headmaster of Beacon! We should just get outta here."

"No way, there's only one of him. We can ransom him!"

"I don't think that's-"

"Get him, boys! And those kids too!"

You close your eyes and snicker. "Students, please close your eyes. This…" You open your eyes, which are now a green colour. Your skin transforms to its stony gray form with more green swirls than before. Your left arm temporarily grows back into a more ethereal form, but the chains still wrap around it. Your suit chars, of course, but that isn't a problem. You slide your blade out from your sleeve and loosen some chains so they fall to the ground. With your new cursed state achieved, you burst off the ground towards the bandits.

 _A very interesting two gifts… Ozpin… I won't let you down. I won't let anyone down ever again!_


End file.
